Are accessible loos for invisible disabilities important to you or someone you know? Maybe you or the person you know has bladder and/or bowel issues due to an illness that isn’t always visible – Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Diverticulitis, Multiple Sclerosis, Transverse Myelitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or another one.
Knowing where the loos are when you go out becomes paramount. It can even dictate where you are comfortable going. Because getting to a loo can become a sudden need and if there isn’t one nearby, this can be an issue. I know what this is like. Or having the space and privacy to deal with a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy bag, or to self-catheterise.
This is an important necessity for you. Your bladder and/or bowel don’t work like everyone else. Yet other people don’t readily know that because you look fine on the outside. So there can be the ‘do-I-or-don’t-I dilemma’ of using the disabled loo when you need it.
Sudden urgency and the do I or dont I dilemma. B Babcock 2016
But you get funny looks from people for using the disabled loo
There may have been times when you stepped out of the disabled loo and got a funny look from someone. Or they even said, ‘You don’t look disabled!’ You may feel guilty, even though you know you shouldn’t as you have every right to use that disabled loo. But the assumption that for an illness to be valid it has to be visible is rearing its ugly head again.
You want to explain, but talking about pee and poo issues is taboo. It feels like a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation. That can understandably get you down when you are already dealing with an unpredictable bowel or bladder and possibly pain and fatigue too, and you are just trying to go out and have a nice time.
Well, things are starting to change for the better. Accessible loos for invisible disabilities are about to get more visible in a supermarket near you. Read on to find out more.
This sign will promote accessible loos for invisible disabilities
Accessible Loos 4 Invisible Disabilities. B Babcock 2016
Marks & Spencer (a UK store) advised me over Twitter that they think putting a ‘not every disability is visible’ sign on a disabled toilet door is a great idea and are going to do it in all of their new stores. They don’t have plans for their existing stores yet, but it’s on their radar.
This idea has also been forwarded to the appropriate team at Sainsbury’s to consider.
How did this change happen?
It started earlier this month when the Backup Trust, the charity which focuses on transforming lives after spinal cord injury (great people doing fabulous work), tweeted that Asda was putting up a new toilet sign in its stores. You can read that article here.
I thought, ‘What a fabulous idea!’ and ‘Are the other supermarkets doing this?’ So I tagged Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose in a tweet and asked.
The tweet that started it. B Babcock 2016
A week later, Marks & Spencer tweeted me saying they were going to adopt the idea!
Tweet from Marks and Spencer. B Babcock 2016
I got busy on Twitter after that tweeting Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
Encouraging other UK supermarkets to get on board and display a disabled toilet sign including invisible disabilities
Sainsbury’s came back to me saying the idea has been forwarded to the appropriate team for their review.
Sainsburys starts to get on board re displaying new disabled toilet sign including invisible disabilities. B Babcock 2016
Waitrose and Tesco haven’t yet responded. In the meantime, I went to my local branch of Waitrose and chatted to a departmental manager Helen. She liked the idea and said she would forward it on to headquarters. Let’s hope she did!
What I learned regarding making change happen
Twitter can be a powerful vehicle for initiating positive change. With one tweet, Marks & Spencer is changing their approach to invisible disabilities across the UK. That’s pretty cool.
It reinforced how important the following saying is: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
We can help make the change we want to happen and to make our voices heard. And we’ll each do that differently. Some of us will tweet, some of us will request our MPs face-to-face to make a change, others will promote their drawings of an issue they care about, or maybe write a letter to the CEO of an organisation. There are so many ways we can make our voices heard in a way that is comfortable for us.
The key thing is to do something.
Get involved and make a difference – Make accessible loos for invisible disabilities happen
If you want to get involved to move the accessible loos for invisible disabilities campaign forward, there are several ways you can. Select the one that you are most comfortable with.
- Tweet about the need for #accessibleloos for #invisibledisabilities. Include your condition and the accessible loo photo above. Tweet to the shops you frequent most, your MP, famous people, friends, family, etc. Ask them to retweet.
- Share the accessible loo photo on Facebook and ask your friends and family to share.
- Download the accessible loo photo or create your own and take it to the nearest shops you frequent. (Feel free to take out the hashtags or include your own.) Ask the store manager if they would be happy to put it on the disabled loo. (bring cellotape with you)
- Send the accessible loo sign to the CEOs of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose and request it is put on disabled loo doors. Also send it to other shops too like John Lewis, Debenham’s, your favourite retailer or restaurant chain.
- If you have family or friends who work in in large retail companies or restaurant chains, ask them to share the idea with the people or teams who make such decisions. Such companies may have a scheme whereby employees can offer ideas and if they are implemented, the employee is recognised for it.
If you have a different idea, go with it. Together we can get the accessible loos for invisible disabilities campaign going faster and wider and break down the stigma of invisible disabilities and the taboo of bladder and bowel issues.
What’s it like for you?
What has it been like for you if you have an invisible disability and used the disabled loo? Have you experienced issues or has it been ok? And do you have other ideas for advancing the campaign of accessible loos for invisible disabilities? Share your experiences and thoughts below by leaving a comment.
If you are living with a challenging health issue or are caring for someone who is, and would like support on any of the issues discussed here, have a look at how we can work together and get in touch for a free no obligation consultation.
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© Copyright Barbara Babcock 2016
One small action can lead to massive change. Barbara did you imagine this would be the outcome when you shared that tweet? Of course not. We can’t tell beforehand but as you say, the key is to DO something.
You just made the world a better place for so many people!
Thank you Shari for your kind comments. You’re right, I didn’t have the expectation that something that big would happen after sending that tweet. I was just hoping for a standard ‘thank you for your feedback’ reply! But it’s these small actions that are so important. Look at the guy who started the donation page on Just Giving to raise money for real people in situation of the character Helen on The Archers. That one simple, small action which took minutes to do raised over £150,000 to aid families experiencing domestic abuse. (here is a link to the article – https://bit.ly/2cyNRO2 ) DOING something for ourself or another, no matter how small, is so important.
This is brilliant, Barbara! Well done you! Just goes to show, as you say – ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get’ – and what do we have to lose by asking?
Exactly! One question led to such a positive impact. You don’t know if you will get what you are looking/hoping for until you ask. Am very chuffed! 🙂