What are the rules for using the handicap stall in the women’s bathroom

[anniemae]

Honestly.....if I'm in line to use the bathroom and that handicap bathroom opens up, I'm using it unless.....
I see someone that obviously needs it
or
I see a mom with kids (I remember well how it is when you have kids that need to use the bathroom right at that moment)

People need to stay in their lane and not feel the need to police people every where they go. If I used a handicap stall, and someone scolded me like I was a child, I would just shake my head, wash my hands and leave. There's no way I'm giving them a response.

I would walk away too. People are crazy these days and I would not want to get into an argument. I think with social media being what it is, everyone feels they have the right to police everyone. Cameras will be whipped out and recording anyone doing anything perceived as wrong.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

IME it often creates more issues when people decide to leave the accessible stall open for the "just in case someone needs it" and certainly wouldn't aid in getting into the bathroom quicker for someone who needs it if they are waiting in line behind people who just continuously leave it open.

I don't even get into the whole mental gymnastics of thinking about invisible disabilities or not, that's making a simple situation complicated. There are so many different bathroom set ups. You can have ones where there are 20,30 stalls or you can have one with just 2 stalls and one is the accessible one.

Most people seem to use situational surroundings to let someone behind them go ahead of them to specifically go into those particular stalls but I have more than once opted to go into the accessible stall when others choose not to. My goal is to get in and out as quickly as possible and that is generally the goal of others. And a line of 10 people deep where everyone is skipping the accessible stall isn't going to accomplish that and potentially leaving a person who would like to utilize that for whatever reason waiting longer than necessary.

 

[RedHead0186]

I believe ADA act prohibits asking.

The ADA prohibits businesses (as potential employers) asking. It doesn't prohibit random people from asking.

 

[tvguy]

The ADA prohibits businesses (as potential employers) asking. It doesn't prohibit random people from asking.

Maybe I am confusing service animals. I know when I was involved in Little League baseball we had to make our fields accessible. We could put in sidewalks, Or get a golf cart and transport those asking to and from the fields. Some board members were afraid it would be abused and wanted to ask people why they needed a ride. Our attorneys advised us it was illegal for anyone to ask anything about a disability requiring assistance, we just had to assume it was a legitimate request. In reality, it never was an issue. We might get a couple of requests a week.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Maybe I am confusing service animals. I know when I was involved in Little League baseball we had to make our fields accessible. We could put in sidewalks, Or get a golf cart and transport those asking to and from the fields. Some board members were afraid it would be abused and wanted to ask people why they needed a ride. Our attorneys advised us it was illegal for anyone to ask anything about a disability requiring assistance, we just had to assume it was a legitimate request. In reality, it never was an issue. We might get a couple of requests a week.

The topic is just bathroom stalls. While considered rude and intrusive for an individual to ask another individual the reasoning for them using that stall it's not part of any sort of law.

Even if you were confusing service animals for this it still wouldn't be against a law for one individual to ask another individual what their disability is even again as rude and intrusive it is considered. The ADA doesn't patrol individual behavior. The role an individual has is where the ADA (such as employees, etc) would come into play but random people in line for the bathroom is not applicable.

 

[RedHead0186]

Maybe I am confusing service animals. I know when I was involved in Little League baseball we had to make our fields accessible. We could put in sidewalks, Or get a golf cart and transport those asking to and from the fields. Some board members were afraid it would be abused and wanted to ask people why they needed a ride. Our attorneys advised us it was illegal for anyone to ask anything about a disability requiring assistance, we just had to assume it was a legitimate request. In reality, it never was an issue. We might get a couple of requests a week.

Ok yes, under the ADA business can't ask a patron that comes in with a service animal what their disability is. They can only ask if the animal is a trained service animal, and what function(s) the animal is trained to perform.

But, like Mackenzie said, that's still very different than an individual asking another individual about their disability. Poor form, absolutely, but not illegal.

 

[tvguy]

The topic is just bathroom stalls. While considered rude and intrusive for an individual to ask another individual the reasoning for them using that stall it's not part of any sort of law.

Even if you were confusing service animals for this it still wouldn't be against a law for one individual to ask another individual what their disability is even again as rude and intrusive it is considered. The ADA doesn't patrol individual behavior. The role an individual has is where the ADA (such as employees, etc) would come into play but random people in line for the bathroom is not applicable.

Got it. And no obligation to answer.

 

[barkley]

The changing tables are often installed in the H stall so young moms are likely to need the stall as much as those with special physical needs.

there are far too few of them but the 2nd greatest advent to public restrooms has been businesses and public spaces creating non gendered 'family' bathroom rooms that have a changing table IN ADDITION to the changing tables all ready in the larger multi stall bathrooms. one or two small dedicated rooms to herd the kids into to go potty while you change a diaper (and a full on locked door so the toddler can't shimmy out under the stall to greet the adjacent toilet user - HELLO, WATCHA DOING? NUMBER 1 OR 2? ). the ones near us (at least at the big retailers) also designate these as handicapped. there need to be more.

greatest advent in my opinion? changing tables in MENS ROOMS. it took way to long for anyone to figure out that a male might have occasion to change a child's diaper