Berjaya Times Square has some of the cleanest disabled toilets anywhere in Kuala Lumpur. The floors are dry and the wash basins and water closet bowls are clean. One has to look for the janitor to unlock the door. This is a tad inconvenient but that little effort in hunting for the janitor is worth the cleanliness.
When asked why the doors are usually locked, one of the janitors said, “Orang tak sakit pun mahu guna.”
I have had to use many disabled toilets that are disgustingly filthy. Some have doors that cannot be locked, water closet bowls that are not flushed, grimy wash basins and floors that are wet. Some have been vandalized. The abuse of disabled toilets is a despicable act. It deprives the people who really need to use it the convenience. Those are the only toilets that the physically disabled can use and they are far and few in between.
Some people are simply too lazy to walk those extra step to use the normal toilets. This is ironic. By selfishly disregarding the purpose the disabled logo was put there in the first place, it would have caused inconvenience to people like me should we need to use it. Several times, I have had to wait to use one only to see the person using it before me walking out without showing signs of physical impediment.
Last week, after I got out from the disabled toilet and asked the janitor to lock the door, one middle-aged lady rushed in after me. Her friends asked her why she was using that particular toilet, pointing to the huge disabled logo on the door. She simply mumbled that the disabled toilet can also be used. I looked at the janitor. She shook her head. I replied with a sympathetic smile.
