The funny thing about accessible loos

Imagine this: you decide to make a visit to the loo, so you open the door to find… a half-eaten roast chicken perched beside the sink. A bicycle leaning against the wall, blocking your way in. Or you are greeted by a stack of Christmas decorations in April, or even a surfboard balanced inside after the summer...

In fact, imagine there is an entire office set-up complete with desk and chair, or even someone already inside using the space for something entirely different… we will not get into the details!

The reality of the weird things cluttering accessible toilets

It might sound like an April Fool’s joke, but this is real life in the world of accessible toilets. These are just some of the unusual – and all too real – things people have told us they have encountered in accessible toilets. Keep scrolling to read some more from our community about what they have found…

According to our latest Access Survey, the following items make regular appearances:

• 78% found cleaning equipment
• 63% found overflowing bins and waste
• 44% found chairs, tables and furniture
• 33% found inappropriate waste, like faeces, needles, urine and blood
• 6% found offices, desks, and computer equipment
• 5% found bicycles, bikes and scooters
• 1% found animals

The survey gives us direct feedback from disabled people sharing their stories with us, which highlight a serious, and often dangerous, issue: accessible toilets are too often misused, cluttered, or treated as convenient storage spaces rather than the essential facilities they are.

That is why our Safer Toilets campaign exists

One of the biggest problems we hear about is the safety of accessible loos. As well as weird things, blockages, and inappropriate use, the red emergency cords that are designed to allow someone to call for help if they fall or need assistance are often tied up, tucked away, shortened, or missing altogether. This means people can be left without a way to raise the alarm in an emergency, sometimes stuck on the floor, unable to call for help.

We are working to change all of this with our Safer Toilets campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of accessible toilets and why they should be well maintained, looked after, and treated with respect.

Our Red Cord Cards are simple, practical signs that attach to emergency cords, reminding everyone that they must hang freely to the floor so they can be reached when needed. With the support of our community, we have already helped make tens of thousands of accessible toilets safer – we have almost distributed 200,000 Red Cord Cards!

Help us make accessible loos safer

We are calling on everyone, from venues to visitors and healthcare professionals, to think differently about these spaces and keep them clear, safe, and ready to use.

So, this April Fool’s Day, while it might be easy to laugh at the idea of finding a roast chicken or a hot desk in the loo, it is no joke – the reality for disabled people is much more serious.

Find out how you can help us make accessible toilets safer at www.EuansGuide.com/SaferToilets.

Here are just some of the strange things our community has found in accessible toilets

1. “A stack of books blocking access to the sink. When I raised this with the restaurant, the manager had thought they would make a useful step to reach the sink.”

2. “A pile of coat hangers and packaging after someone has used the accessible toilet as a changing room.”

3. “A box of Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree itself!”

4. “A lifesaving dummy on a stretcher during a swimming pool visit.”

5. “A tied-up emergency cord with the Euan’s Guide sign still on it. The week previously I had untied it and put the sign on.”

6. “Staff holding a staff meeting.”

7. “A two-tier plant stand, with plants getting in the way of the red cord.”

8. “Computers… It had been turned into an office and the three people in it had to leave so I could use the toilet.”

9. “Staff coats and clothes, stacks of spare chairs, cleaning equipment, an infestation of flies. Piles of baby chairs.”

10. “Velvet ropes stored for VIP guests.”

11. “A washing machine.”

12. “In supermarkets, trolleys have been stored, and one toilet had a kiddies’ ride and a donation for charity stand blocking the entrance.”

13. “Soiled baby nappies. Rubbish. People who had not bothered to flush the toilet. Wet floors. Wet paper hand towels on the floor.”

14. “Roadside bollards.”

15. “A Neil Diamond tribute act!”