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Accessible toilets in Belgium (at least in Brussels). This should go also on #AccessibilityFails
I wanted to write a longer post but then I though that I would just toilet-shame this city and go B R U T A L.
Toilets in Brussels are generally terrible, whether you have a disability or not, but if you have a disability you can count mostly on:
1. THE UNDERGOUND LOO: Toilets in bars and restaurants are located mainly either underground or at the higher floors, with no elevators, so unless you can do steps up and down you don`t pee in most bars and restaurants. Simple, straighforward: no peeing in cute old style looking pubs, bars and food joints.
2. THE FAKE ACCESSIBLE: don’t trust that sign on the door: the wheelchair on it is mostly a decoration, once you are in there, no grab bars or any other feature which would actually qualify the toilet as effectively being usable by people with access needs.3. THE INACCESSIBLE ACCESSIBLE: this is a favourite of mine, the accessible loo placed strategically in an area where you cannot get, if you are in a wheelchair. Like with a number of steep steps (seen that one recently) to get there or the heaviest door in the world to open. As a toilet aficionado, I get to access the inaccessible accessible toilet and photograph it for you, my friend on wheels who would actually need it but, helas! cannot get to it because someone did not think the whole thing through.
4. THE I NEED TO DISMANTLE THE ENTRANCE TO LET YOU IN THE ACCESSIBLE LOO: another favourite, the accessible toilet behind a blocked entrance that the toilet assistant has to dismantle to let you in, blocking the whole line and making anyone who is in a hurry regret ever visiting Brussels. Found one last year, took 15 minutes and three people to dismantle the entrance, same time to put the entrance back again and swearing in at least 5 languages while doing it (ah! Brussels is so multilingual).
5. THE ONLY BOARDING FROM THE LEFT LOO: grab bars are expensive stuff, only one will be enough.
6. THE ONLY BOARDING FROM THE RIGHT LOO: same, but on the other side.7. THE I HAVE AN ACCESSIBLE LOO BUT LORD KNOWS WHERE THE KEY IS: or why, as a person with a disability, you should learn how to break into doors – or hire a PA with a shady but practical past.
I have pictures of most of these loos but I will just post a few so that you can play the game: guess which inaccessible loo I am.
Also, just to share one place that really knows how to handle accessible toilets, if you are in the centre of Brussels and need a toilet break, you should go to the public library MuntPunt, near the Opera, both in the library and in the café attached to it there are accessible toilets, the ones in the library are paying and the one in the café is free (and they have a super nice café where you can stop by and have a really good cappuccino – and I am Italian so you can trust me on that).
On Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/HNdgdkibhXvVtyXd8
Laura, Joan Pahisa and 3 others3 Comments-
Please, help me complement this wonderful list of tragic toilets, I am sure I forgot some other cases, and then we will do a list of all the actually really truly usable accessible toilets in town. I swear.
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Yikes! At least they are clean…?
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you would not think, but mostly they are – if you manage to get in 😀
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