Read your message: “I am perfectly tolerant of people who need to use disabled toilets in emergencies. However, what annoys me is the smugness in announcing to the whole world that one is entitled to use such facilities time and again, especially in events that have been foreseen and should have been prepared for.”

I sort of just did that. Hope I didn’t offend you. Look, when it comes to toilets, I really do agree with what you are saying, believe me. And after considering what you said, I agree it is wrong to use the disabled toilet, simply because of a queue. So I take back what I said, about toilets and queues and what not. I don’t think I can ever put myself in your situation to understand the impact this has on you.

I will certainly speak on your behalf, the next time this topic comes up elsewhere. You have certainly educated me today. Thanks.

In a civil society, we share resources, and ensure that minorities’ needs are not left out. To this end, we try to accommodate disabled people, by building disabled facilities, so that they may lead life in the dignified manner that they deserve. Economically speaking, this is a drain on the resources of the majority. In the case of toilets, less than 1% of users are eligible for the disabled toilets, while the cost of such facilities is at least 10% that of a larger ordinary toilet. I have no figures to back up this statement, but it does illustrate the point. How about those extremely expensive lifts for the disabled? In all my years, I have never seen anyone used them on the underground (subway). Does that mean they are a waste of money? Of course not! If one person needs it, that is enough. Morally speaking, we know it is the right thing to do. We live in a world of compassion, and we aid those who are less fortunate.

Having said all this, we should not forget the rights of the majority as well. Women are often disadvantaged when it comes to toilet ratios. Although this matter should be addressed directly by rebalancing the ratio of toilets allocated to females, let us not go into that at the moment. Why should the disabled toilet be solely reserved for the disabled even when it is rarely used? Why should the majority be inconvenienced and stand in a queue for 10-20 mins when a disabled toilet is left vacant and unused?

Disabled people are just like anyone else. Some are egocentric and think the world owes them everything. Most are kind hearted and reasonable people. In the event that a disable person approaches an occupied toilet, I suppose they would not mind waiting a mere few minutes, if by doing so, they have helped alleviate a queuing problem. Exceptional cases includes those with renal problems. Which leads to an interesting situation: How can one tell if a person who walks out of a disabled toilet is not entitled to it. He or she could have a renal problem, and should be given priority over a person in a wheel chair, who can certainly wait without leaking fluids all over the floor. Are we sometimes jumping to the wrong conclusion? Maybe we should not judge a person so quickly.

Carrying on, I would like to ask readers not to jump to analogies such as disabled car park spaces. Waiting 1 hour for someone to return to a car park space certainly is not the same category as a few minutes in the case of toilets.

I want to end by supporting the author’s original entry. I sympathise with his / her predicament. It is completely objectionable that able bodied people should abuse disabled facilities. They should be as quick as possible, and ensure that it is complete spotless. Depending on the degree of disability, many cannot manoeuvre themselves away from the filth. If a person is not willing to clean up, then they shouldn’t use those toilets at all. They should just queue up. I truly hope that society would wake up and carefully consider the consequences of their actions. We should all fight against the abuse of disabled toilets.

Actually, what prompted me to write was not the discussion on disabled toilets. I don’t use them period, so this is not something close to my heart. However an entry about sitting at disabled seats on public transportation angered me. The author seemed to suggest that these seats must be left free. This is ridiculous. Why should the able bodied stand when a seat is available. We all contributed (through taxation) to that seat. If there are no disabled people around, I see no reason why those seats cannot be occupied until the needy shows up. Those are priority seats, not privileged seats. We live in a classless society, where no one should be privileged / under-privileged.

That’s my opinion on the topic. By the way, I am an able bodied male, who sympathise with the plight of the disabled, as well as the unfair toilet ratios for women. However, I also believe in the rights of the majority, and that every individual has a responsibility to look after each other: this includes minorities helping out the majority. So when their facilities are unused, they should be shared (in my view).

In Germany, people are civic minded and they do not do so. To them, toilet is like thier living rooms and disabled people enjoy very nice facilities there.

I think Malaysian government itself do not put effort in making proper facilities for the disabled.
maybe the government itself has this bad attitude and mentality?

Malaysians, they are friendly but they lack civic consciousness and a little bit of COMPASSION.

m’sians need to change their mentality. whats the use of having smart schools if the basic social ethics cant be mastered?

i agree with life feel that malaysians lack civic consciousness. dirty broken public toilets topped the list as the most ‘abused’ public property.

Life Feel,
The government has made provisions but enforcement is sorely lacking. Couple that with the ignorant public who think they can abuse and vandalise public amenities and get away with it makes life outside a challenge for people who are disabled and have to use such facilities.

sharina,
There was a time - during my schooling days - we were always taught to be compassionate to the elderly, the pregnant and the disabled. I had often given up my seat in the bus to people like these. Now when I am waiting for the elevator, whenever they see me on a wheelchair, they will just turn their heads away and hope that the door will close sooner. Such is the mentality now. This is sad.

lucia,
That is a wrong attitude. What if a disabled person comes just after you have gone into the toilet? The disabled signboard is put there for a purpose. Ladies using the gents’ toilets is a diffent issue altogether. Likewise, just because the disabled parking lots are empty, will you park your car there?