How to design a wheelchair-friendly toilet

Written By Josephine Rees

Disclaimer: I am not a professional with regards to the specifications for accessible toilets. However, based on personal experience as a mobility aid user, I consider the criteria below important. The information in this post should serve as a guide in combination with expert advice.

Accessible toilets are an absolute necessity for many people living with a disability. A crucial part of inclusive spaces, their design features allow wheelchair users and individuals with a range of (physical) disabilities to use the toilet as independently and safely as possible. 

Below you’ll find a checklist with important considerations when designing a wheelchair-friendly toilet:

Entrance

  • Is the doorway wide enough for a wheelchair user to pass through? (min. 80 cm / 32 inches wide)

  • Is the doorway threshold-free?

  • Is the door lightweight?

  • Does the door have a horizontal bar across the inside (along its full width) to help close it?

  • Does the door open outwards, allowing safe and easy access in an emergency?


Support

  • Are there grab rails on both sides of the toilet?

  • Is the toilet seat raised?

Amenities

  • Is the mirror low enough for wheelchair users?

  • Is the sink low enough for wheelchair users?

  • Is the soap dispenser within reach for wheelchair users?

  • Is the paper towel dispenser/ hand dryer within reach for wheelchair users?

  • Is the bin within reach for wheelchair users?

  • Is the toilet paper within easy reach when seated on the toilet?

  • Is the paper towel dispenser/ hand dryer close enough to the sink and bin (so that users don't have to use wet hands on their mobility aids to move between the two)?


Design

  • Is the tap a design that doesn't require much force to operate?

  • Is the tap a design that can be used with a closed fist? (Tip: Use a lever design)

  • Is the bin a design that doesn't require much force to operate?

  • Is the bin a design that can be used with a closed fist?

  • The bin does not require the use of feet/ legs to operate (i.e. it is not a foot pedal bin).

  • The bin is large enough to dispose of diapers, stoma bags or other larger waste/ sanitary items.


Space

  • Is the toilet spacious enough to turn at least 1.5 m full circle in a wheelchair?

  • Is the space underneath the sink free, allowing a wheelchair user to roll right up to it?

  • The accessible toilet is not being used for storage space.


Safety features

  • Is there an emergency alarm cord inside the toilet?

  • Does the emergency alarm cord go around the whole parameter of the accessible toilet?

  • Is the emergency alarm cord strung along the wall approx. 40 cm from the ground?

  • Is the emergency alarm cord system fully functioning?

  • Are staff members well-trained in responding to the emergency alarm system?


Signposting

  • Is the way to the accessible toilet clearly signposted with a wheelchair icon?

  • Is the door to the accessible toilet clearly signposted with a wheelchair icon?

  • Is all signposting clearly visible from afar?

Free Downloadable PDFs

Able Amsterdam has a variety of free downloadable PDF documents about wheelchair accessibility. Click on the image below for a free summary of this blog post:

Useful links

Josephine Rees

My name is Josephine Rees (1993) and I am Dutch-British. I was raised in Tokyo and Moscow and moved to the Netherlands to study Anthropology & Human Geography in 2012. After briefly living in Thailand and Cambodia, I am now based in Amsterdam and have recently completed my MSc in Social Policy and Public Health.

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