Tuesday, October 1, 2013

What's up with the handicapped accessible bathroom stall?

So the reason I am writing again..well, that is because this shit drives me CRAZY!!
(And, btw, it's all true, yes, I really have experienced these issues in person.)
I know I haven't posted in a while, (like, almost a year) but I am trying to get back into it, so feel free to shoot me ideas, and I'll do my best. For this (and possibly future posts) I will be creating my own abbreviations, because typing handicapped accessible bathroom/stall is going to get old real fast, so if you see HCAB you know what I am talking about, others may follow, and I'll fill you in as I go.
I was recently at an outdoor market in Baltimore Md.  It was a nice market, but as anyone who has MS knows, you always need to know where the closest bathroom is, because you ALWAYS have to pee, and you don't always have control over where/when your bladder is going to decide that it has waited long enough. So, as we get to the market, I need to take a leak, and I see the port-a-johns, and we head that way.
So, of course there are lines, but wait, whats this? A HCAB port-a-john, and it has no line!! My lucky day. Oh bless you angel who supplies bathrooms up need
So I head that way on my scooter..but, what's this? It is LOCKED, with a note on the front that asks all HC ppl to head into the market, find the welcome desk, and get the combination for the lock.
Are they serious? Do they have NO fucking clue?
And let me back up to mention that if anyone was in need of this facility and could not stand up and shuffle to the door, they would not have been able to access this stall, because the unit was set up facing the others instead of the street, and only about 12 inches away from them, so, if you couldn't do the aforementioned gimpy shuffle, you were screwed, even if the unit had not been  locked.
So, I see one of  the other p-o-j"s has no line, and I scoot over there to perform the gimp shuffle, and finally get to relieve my bladder, with minimal leakage (thank you goddess of all weak bladders) and carry on with our foray into the market. On the way in, I do see the welcome desk/tent, and I go over and find out the combination for future reference (I know I will need to pee again before we leave the area) and we go check out the market, get some beautiful bread, and decide to have some lunch. We had places to go and things to do, so, on the way out, I go back to the p-o-j area, go up to the HCAB, and try the combination,...it doesn't work. Well, isn't that nifty? My friend zipped back into the "welcome" tent, to find out if we had misremembered the combination, only to be told that no, we had it right, but you really had to jerk down hard on the lock. Oh, really? Because there aren't any HC ppl who have problems with their hands or dexterity or strength? So, we got the stall open, but meanwhile I am fuming, and if I had taken the lock into the p-o-j with me, I most likely would have thrown it into the  proper receptacle (on second thought  it might break the honey dippers pump out truck, and it wasn't HIS fault that the john was locked)  but Helen had it, so instead when I went out  I got it from her,  and I locked it through the latch in such a way that it was locked open, and announced to all the ppl waiting in line that the potty was open and available to all. What I should have done was go back to the "welcome" tent and explain to them in detail how this was not an acceptable way to offer the facility, in detail, and graphically, as only my previous readers and friends know that I could.I didn't have time that day to reeducate anyone, so I scotted to the car, and we went on our way.
Maybe having to drag themselves out to the poj area to retrieve the lock was enough of a message? No, not really. Me standing there in  piss wet jeans, screaming obscenities would have been more of a lasting impression.
Next up..public bathrooms.
What exactly, is the appeal of the HC stall for able bodied women? Oh, I know it is bigger. Do you realize that the reason for this is to accommodate  my scooter? Or my walker? Do you realize that there are hand rails to help ME and others like me to transfer from our personal mode of transportation to the commode? Did you think it was bigger so that you could change? (Yes, I see that a one a lot) So that you wouldn't feel claustrophobic? (that one I heard twice, as ladies came out, saw me waiting, or trying to get in the regular stall, and felt compelled to explain to me why they were in the HC stall ) Did you really need your own personal sink and mirror to do your make-up? ( some very very nice HC stall have this feature- and thank you designers of those bathrooms)
I'll tell you what, you can have the fucking MS, and you can have the HC stall, too, ok? Fair deal?


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