Common Problems with Toilet Rooms
While there are many elements of toilet rooms – and often many problems – here are some of the most common:
Ø The door is too narrow, or there is not enough maneuvering space immediately inside or outside the toilet room door for a person using a wheelchair to open and pass through the door.
Ø Coat hooks and paper towel, toilet paper, soap, and other dispensers are located so that persons who use wheelchairs cannot reach them.
Ø The "accessible" toilet is placed too close or too far from the wall or stall divider.
Ø The toilet flush mechanism is positioned on the wrong side of the toilet so that a person sitting in a wheelchair cannot reach it.
Ø Grab bars are missing or too short.
Ø The maneuvering space at the "accessible" toilet is too narrow.
Ø The sink counter is too high, or there is insufficient knee clearance.
Ø The sink has exposed hot water and drain pipes, which can cause serious burns.
All features of this toilet room comply with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
The door is centered at the end of a narrow hallway. People using wheelchairs are unable to open this door, as once they are close enough to reach the handle, their wheelchair will block the door from opening. Additional maneuvering clearance is required to the "latch" side of the door (in this photo, more maneuvering space is required to the right of the door handle).
A person using this sink might be hit by someone else trying to enter the room. Doors may not swing into the clear floor space required at toilet room fixtures, such as sinks and toilets.
The hot water and drain pipes under the sinks are not wrapped, so people who use wheelchairs and who have little heat sensation in their legs may burn themselves.
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