A UK Supermarket has been praised for making its disabled toilet signs more inclusive.
The sign shows a traditional disabled symbol alongside the symbols for male and female toilets. Under the pictures the texts reads: “Not every disability is visible”.
A photo of the sign went viral over the weekend after being posted on the Crohn’s and Colitis UK Facebook page.
“Finally some recognition for those [with] hidden disabilities. Crohn’s has been my nemesis for years yet I always feel judged for using disabled facilities. Well done Asda,” said one of the many commenters.
The sign acknowledges that often people with an invisible illness get ‘tutted’ or challenged when using a disabled toilet.
This is something that disability activist Carly Findlay feels really strongly about. She says that she would like to see this sort of signage adopted universally.
“It would help those of us with more hidden disabilities feel confident to use these facilities,” she tells The Weekly Online.
However, Sarah Whitaker who has a more obvious disability says that regardless of signage, there are still a lot of people who use the accessibility toilets who probably shouldn’t.
“There are a large number of people who do use the bathroom because it appears almost luxurious and spacious and will use it almost as a first class utility where they can take as much time as they please, she says.
“Just yesterday I had waited a good 15 minutes to use the one bathroom available to me and out walked a seemingly very able-bodied person who had spent their time trimming his beard (whiskers were EVERYWHERE).
This certainly wasn’t an isolated incident: “Other memorable instances involve someone who had been doing their make up and another time two men exited looking quite sheepish,” says Whitaker.
“It’s frustrating as I can be waiting up to half an hour to use that bathroom and there have been times I have been beside myself with the strain it has put on my bladder.”
But Whitaker also says that changing the signage could act as a gentle reminder that disability doesn’t always look a certain way.
“It’s a great reminder for those with disabilities perhaps not to judge so quickly,” she says.
“But on the other side of the coin I still think there’s a lot of awareness that needs to be raised about the importance of keeping those bathrooms vacant to those who actually require them.”
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