What goes in must come out. A business focused on feeding and hydrating people must of course provide facilities for the human processes that follow.
Disabled toilets are an important accessibility consideration. This can make the difference between a person choosing one restaurant over another. Things to keep in mind include:
- Have wheelchair accessible toilets, including enough space to move around and handrails
- Ensuring that the wheelchair accessible toilet is accessible (e.g. free from clutter, push button/lightweight door, enough space for a chair to turn around in) and there is a clear path to the wheelchair accessible toilet.
- If the toilet is upstairs or downstairs, make sure there is a lift that patrons can use to get to the toilet. If there is no lift on the premises, make sure that the toilet is on ground level.
- If there is no wheelchair accessible toilet, consider having the toilets equipped with a handrail so that it becomes an ambulatory toilet that is beneficial to many people with a disability, older persons and women who are pregnant.
- Do not use toilets or the hallways leading to them as storage areas. This space is needed for people with wheelchairs and other mobility devices to turn around.
- Have braille signage on toilets
- Have unisex toilets – this also allows you to dedicate more space to each toilet room.
- Avoid using strong scents, including scented soap in the toilet
- Provide clear signage that shows patrons where the toilets and cash registers are.
- If you have the space and the resources, look into installing a Changing Places toilet that allow people who require extra equipment and space to use the toilet safely and comfortably.
Resources
- Wikipedia has a page on Accessible Toilets.
- The World of Accessible Toilets provides guidelines on what makes toilets accessible.
- AbleAmsterdam discusses the important features of an accessible toilet.