I found myself having an interesting conversation with some work colleagues yesterday.
We were setting up an event, and the caretaker suggested that we use the disabled toilet as a baby changing facility, but advised us not to actually close the door from the outside as we would get locked out, unless someone has a RADAR key. 'Don't worry, I've got one', I said.
Three colleagues then asked 'What's a RADAR key?'
In case you don't know either, this is a RADAR key -
The RADAR scheme is organised by Disability Rights UK - http://disabilityrightsuk.org/
The basic idea is that all disabled toilets in public spaces have a universal key, which people with disabilities can get, so they don't need to go looking for a manager/building supervisor to use it. It's a great idea, although it can be a bit hit and miss in practise (like the Weatherspoons I went into once where the disabled loo was clearly being used as a storeroom!).
After explaining this to my colleagues, I then had the inevitable question as to why I have one, as a seemingly able-bodied person. I explained that I have Crohn's Disease and people with IBD can't always wait in the queue in the ladies, especially when they are having a flare up. That clearly started making people uncomfortable, so I then went on to explain that although it doesn't apply to me, some people with IBD have ostomies and it can just be really rather unpleasant to deal with the appliances in a public loo.
Everyone went really quiet and looked at the floor. Nothing quite shuts down a conversation like a discussion about ostomies!
They should be glad that I didn't tell them about J-pouches!!
There was a brilliant blog that went around the internet on this subject a few months ago. It's definitely worth a read (unless you don't want to know what a J-pouch is!) - http://sobadass.me/2015/02/17/to-the-woman-who-tutted-at-me-using-the-disabled-toilets/
IBD is 'an invisible illness'. Not all disabilities are visible, so please don't judge the seemingly able-bodied person you see using the disabled loo, you probably don't know what they are living with.
We were setting up an event, and the caretaker suggested that we use the disabled toilet as a baby changing facility, but advised us not to actually close the door from the outside as we would get locked out, unless someone has a RADAR key. 'Don't worry, I've got one', I said.
Three colleagues then asked 'What's a RADAR key?'
In case you don't know either, this is a RADAR key -
The basic idea is that all disabled toilets in public spaces have a universal key, which people with disabilities can get, so they don't need to go looking for a manager/building supervisor to use it. It's a great idea, although it can be a bit hit and miss in practise (like the Weatherspoons I went into once where the disabled loo was clearly being used as a storeroom!).
After explaining this to my colleagues, I then had the inevitable question as to why I have one, as a seemingly able-bodied person. I explained that I have Crohn's Disease and people with IBD can't always wait in the queue in the ladies, especially when they are having a flare up. That clearly started making people uncomfortable, so I then went on to explain that although it doesn't apply to me, some people with IBD have ostomies and it can just be really rather unpleasant to deal with the appliances in a public loo.
Everyone went really quiet and looked at the floor. Nothing quite shuts down a conversation like a discussion about ostomies!
There was a brilliant blog that went around the internet on this subject a few months ago. It's definitely worth a read (unless you don't want to know what a J-pouch is!) - http://sobadass.me/2015/02/17/to-the-woman-who-tutted-at-me-using-the-disabled-toilets/
IBD is 'an invisible illness'. Not all disabilities are visible, so please don't judge the seemingly able-bodied person you see using the disabled loo, you probably don't know what they are living with.
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