This Little Toilet of Mine: Definitely isn't ADA Compliant!

This Little Toilet of Mine:

Definitely Isn't ADA Compliant!

Hi, my name is John and I have severe Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy (IDP). So I'm used to pain. I don't like it one bit but I live with it. It makes me very tired. Just like your pain probably does. Please read here to learn more about my worsening symptoms. It can even hurt to stand.

Allow me to share a little story with you...

'Twas the night before the wedding and all through the Air B-n-B,

10 people split five bedrooms, and two bathrooms, not three...

Not sure how many of you have tried an Air B-n-B and been disappointed. The people who are brave enough to open their home (or one of their many homes) really don't know who they're getting when they provide the secret code to a stranger. Of course, those who are renting a place for the night don't know what's in store for them until they open that front door.

Things can go very well or very poorly. From my very minimal experience it appears that the cost of any potential repairs is wrapped up in the exorbitant price that you're expected to pay to stay at someone's empty house for less than 24 hours.

My needs were simple. I was looking forward to using the upstairs bedroom and bathroom because with the two different walkers and wheelchair I needed to get around, I definitely wasn't up for somehow bumping my way down the exceptionally long staircase to the basement.

One of the upstairs bedrooms had a big king bed. Whoopee! Frankly, I was more interested in how easy the bathroom was to access. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements set up certain standards for what makes a bathroom useable and accessible for handicapped individuals but owners of Air B-n-Bs can choose whether or not to fix things up to meet such guidelines.

In this case, the whole place was re-decorated with strange and interesting thrift store finds and do-it-yourself upgrades. There was one exception. In the basement was a huge, beautifully remodeled bathroom. It had a no-step walk-in shower. It was stunning really. But I only know this because I saw pictures.

The catch was that there was no way I could get to this beautiful facility with any sort of comfort, ease or safety. That's because the stunning ADA-compliant walk-in shower was down a flight of stairs. (A full floor flight!)

As a 61-year-old adult man, I ended up using the upstairs bathroom. It was also known as the "kid's bathroom." I say that because it had a teeny tiny toilet that you might see in the special bathroom for wee kindergarteners who need nearby access so as to prevent accidents. And I'm no kindergartner. You can see my foot was about half the length of the toilet.

Plus there were no grab bars just a small high sink on one side and sliding glass shower doors on the other. Very painful to try to push myself up from the too-low, too-tiny toilet. Plus I couldn't even get my walker in the bathroom unless I entered sideways.

The access issues were not good, to put it mildly. The final indignity was that while the basement bathroom had been fixed up nicely the one I had to use didn't even have a vent. Okay, yes, there was a small window that could be cracked open, but that meant leaning precariously over the tub edge across the abyss of the shower-tub space without anything substantial to support me.

So the lesson learned was to ask more and better questions upfront. And to realize that unless you have to deal with throw rugs and small doorways and jerry-rigged railings and so on you can't comprehend what it's like to have a disability that truly impacts mobility.

If you're a handicapped individual like I am, you have to be more patient, more diligent and whole lot more creative trying to make your way safely around someone else's place.

But even so, a sturdy adult-sized toilet and working vent would have been enormously helpful. And believe me, I'll be sure to ask for both specifically next time...

Thanks for listening.

John

P.S. The death of a child can also add to the stress of neuropathy. Read my story here. For further thoughts visit Giving Mom a Break About her Meds, Let's Talk about Mobility, Let's Talk about Speed, Let's Talk about Changes, or Let's Talk about Giving Thanks. You can also read about Using a Handicap Placard, Walker Envy, Saying "Owww" when it hurts, Calluses and dealing with Pain, or the Humor of finding out your personal walker was a star on the TV show Monk! Here are a few thoughts on Exhaustion. If you have to grab a grab bar click here. Finally, if you ever find yourself dropping things like I do, please read this and its sequel about the difference between Tossing Something and Dropping It! And before you decide to share links to alleged "neuropathy cures" with me or my readers, please read this article first: Please Listen...

P.P.S. All photos are mine.

Comments

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Life with Neuropathy

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