Got stuck in a bathroom stall for 20 minutes because the door opened inward

Was at a coffee shop downtown and the accessible stall door swung inward, so my chair blocked me from closing it. Had to yell for a barista to push the door from outside so I could back out.

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.parker12d ago

Fix the damn door hinges to swing outward like every other public restroom. It's a basic safety thing, not just for wheelchair users but for anyone who might need help inside. Building codes even say doors have to swing out in small rooms like bathrooms for exactly this reason. I've seen it in older buildings where they just never updated the hardware. Honestly it's lazy maintenance more than anything else. One screwdriver and 20 minutes would stop this from happening to someone else.

ben40212d ago

The bigger issue nobody talks about is how inward-swinging doors actually make it harder to rescue someone who's not responsive in a small restroom. Think about it, if someone collapses behind that door, you're basically trying to push them out of the way while also forcing the door open. You're fighting their body weight. With a door that swings outward, you just pull it open and there's nothing blocking your path. I've seen this come up in training for first responders and it's the kind of detail most people just don't think about until it's an emergency situation. Inward doors also make it way harder for someone to drag themselves out if they're injured or panicking. The building codes are there for a reason and it's not just wheelchair users.