here goes then, my thoughts,
first up the name for the product,
how terrible, it will such a product would only be of any real value if it
became common in all "rest rooms" using disability in the name will almost
certainly mean it only ever gets as far as the "disabled toilet", which
people with a visual impairment don't normally use anyway.
second placing the paper dispensers wouldn't only be of help to visually
impaired people, as implied in the message, but if that is to be realised
then both the name and the marketing will have to change.
last:
of course when designing accessible rest rooms theres so much more than
just the physical toilet that has to be gotten right.
oh and one last though,
its not april first is it ?
At 10:58 08/05/00 +0100, you wrote:
>hi all,
>turned this up, thought it might be of interest.
>will post my own reactions in a follow up message.
>
>
> From the web page:
>
>The Missoulian
>
>
>http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_new_health/health1.txt
>
>Man invents toilet for use by people with disabilities
>
>Pat Schildt designed a toilet for people with disabilities by talking with
>them about their needs whenever he could. The result of his research is a
>stainless steel toilet that has covered tissue containers attached to both
>sides of the bowl.
>Photo by TOM BAUER/Missoulian
>
>By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
>
>Flush with promise
>
>
>One day about three years ago, it occurred to Pat Schildt that not all
>public bathrooms are created equal.
>
>
>
>Schildt realized that people with disabilities, particularly people with
>limited vision or no vision, often were frustrated by having to hunt for
>the most basic things - like toilet-paper dispensers.
>
>
>
>"Most of us take something like this for granted," Schildt said recently.
>"But for somebody with disabilities, they have such an appreciation for
>basic necessities because they have to deal with things on such a different
>level. They don't know if the seat is wet or if it's dirty, if there is
>toilet paper or where it is - or, if it is there, how to get it out of its
>container."
>
>
>
>As owner of the busy Glacier Way convenience store in Browning, the problem
>bothered him. In fact, he became downright obsessed with finding a
>solution.
>
>
>
>"I wanted to make my restrooms more accessible to people with
>disabilities," he said. "My son said to me, 'If you want to help people
>with disabilities, why don't you ask them what they would like?' "
>
>
>
>So the 48-year-old Schildt hit the road in search of the people he wanted
>to help. He talked with people with disabilities, their caretakers and
>friends, and with administrators of programs for people with disabilities
>across the state. When he traveled, he talked with complete strangers on
>the street or in grocery stores if he believed they would have a vested
>interest in what he was trying to accomplish.
>
>
>
>His mission: create the perfect toilet.
>
>
>
>"In three years, I have interviewed over 2,000 people with disabilities,"
>he said. "If I ran into somebody with physical disabilities I would ask
>them about the product I was designing."
>
>
>
>What he learned is that people just want to know that they can find toilet
>tissue in the same place each time they need to use public facilities.
>
>
>
>"Frustration over this can be very high," said Nancy Holt of Great Falls,
>who is blind. "I hate having to ask someone to take me to the restroom if
>it is somewhere new. Usually I ask a waitress or I have to ask my date. You
>have to swallow hard and either hold it or ask someone."
>
>
>
>>Schildt took the advice he gathered from people like Holt and transformed
>>what he learned into a prototype. The result is a stainless steel toilet
>that has covered tissue containers attached to both sides of the bowl.
>
>
>
>After inventing his creation, he contacted a patent lawyer in New York to
>research the invention. He and his lawyer learned that no one else has
>developed such a product.
>
>
>
>Schildt's toilet design, officially called the "Hygienic Toilet for the
>Blind and Physically Challenged," has gone through most of the legal hoops
>in the patent process and he expects it to be patented by summer.
>
>
>
>Meantime, Schildt is traveling around the state showing his prototype to
>many organizations that represent people with disabilities and to others
>who are interested in his invention.
>
>
>
>"This toilet has more miles on it than most cars," he said. "I take it
>everywhere and I take into every motel I stay at. I've invested $20,000 to
>$30,000 in it and I'm not about to let someone steal it."
>
>
>
>So far, it appears the time and money Schildt has sunk into his invention
>is paying off. He is getting rave reviews and generous thanks of
>appreciation.
>
>
>
>"I think it's awesome," said Dick Howse, who has a retina disease and
>became blind gradually. "It's freedom. Now if everyone could just put sinks
>and hand wipes in the same one area, a blind person could find it easier.
>
>
>"The restrooms in Montana, they are all different. It would be better if
>they were standardized," Howse said. "Maybe they figure blind people don't
>go to the bathroom by themselves, but they do."
>
>
>
>Teresa Leese, who also is blind, said Schildt's toilet is an important
>advancement for people with disabilities, including amputees and people who
>have suffered strokes.
>
>
>
>"This gives a new meaning to restroom," she said. "I think it's easier for
>everybody, even for younger children who have to reach or stand up to find
>the tissue. For me, it relieves some of my stress of having to put my hands
>where I don't want to. For women, especially, the feminine napkin disposals
>are often next to the toilet tissue rolls and that's something I don't
>particularly want to put my hand on."
>
>
>
>Schildt envisions a time when his invention becomes standard for all public
>facilities. It could happen, he said, if the people who have examined his
>creation pass on their opinions to policymakers in Washington, D.C. The
>comment period for changes in the American Disabilities Act accessibility
>guidelines closes May 15.
>
>
>
>"My long-range plan? I'd like to find a manufacturer to produce it," he
>said. He would prefer that the company interested in manufacturing the
>toilets to employ people with disabilities and for the company to be based
>in Montana.
>
>
>
>"Ideally it would be in Browning," he said.
>
>
>
>If and when he sells the patent, he'll begin working to develop other
>ideas.
>
>
>
>"I'm hoping this will give me the freedom to work on the things I have
>thought of since this project began. Everything I see and look at now, I
>wonder how I can improve on it and make it better," Schildt said. "I want
>to continue spending my time making peoples' lives easier.
>
>>>
>"So many people with disabilities could improve their level of living, but
>don't have the resources do it. People shouldn't have to struggle with the
>most basic things."
>
>Adrian Higginbotham.
>SURFACE, Salford University, Research Focus on ACcessible Environments.
>http://www.scpm.salford.ac.uk/surface/
>tel: 0161-2954939
>tele-work 01625-263590
>mini-com 0161-2953599
>fax: 0161-2955011
>
>University of Salford, Bridgewater building, Salford, M7 9 NU.
>
>
>
Adrian Higginbotham.
SURFACE, Salford University, Research Focus on ACcessible Environments.
http://www.scpm.salford.ac.uk/surface/
tel: 0161-2954939
tele-work 01625-263590
mini-com 0161-2953599
fax: 0161-2955011
University of Salford, Bridgewater building, Salford, M7 9 NU.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
