Adjusting toilets to the needs of the old, the pregnant and people with disabilities

Published on: 12/01/2012

About one in every ten people in the world has some kind of disability. A short film shows how important it is to adjust sanitation and water facilities to their conditions. Several papers give examples of toilet adjustments, such as designing a toilet for wheelchair access. WaterAid presented a special paper at the IRC/WSSCC/BRAC practitioner’s conference on sanitation and hygiene in South Asia in 2008. In Ethiopia WaterAid designed a pilot project. WaterAid also did a policy briefing note. With UWASNET they reviewed the policy in Uganda. NEWAH studied the suitability of squatting latrines for pregnant women, the elderly, overweight, sick and disabled people. The 30^th WEDC conference had a paper on similar wider adjustments. A very complete resource is Water and sanitation for disabled people and other vulnerable groups: designing services to improve accessibility.

Background information and materials referred to in the article:

• short film shows how important it is to adjust sanitation and water facilities to different disabilities (link below).
• wheelchair access designs for toilets
• paper by WaterAid presented at the IRC/WSSCC/BRAC practitioner’s workshop on sanitation and hygiene in 2008
• pilot project in Ethiopia designed by WaterAid
• policy briefing by WaterAid
• Uganda policy reviewed by UWASNET
• squatting latrines studied by NEWAH
• paper for 30th WEDC conference on squatting latrines
• complete resource called Water and sanitation for disabled people and other vulnerable groups: designing services to improve accessibility.