National Key Scheme for toilets.

I have had a 'Radar' National Key Scheme key for some time.

I find public toilets impossible, they are smelly and unhygeinic with wet (urine) soaked floors, rudimentary handwashing facilities, and only slightly better than wetting myself. I will only use one when absolutely desperate.   I therefore thought that as I was Autistic I would get a key so I could use the 'disabled' toilet.

Problem is, I cannot bring myself to use it.  I do not have a wheelchair or have physical problems using a 'normal' toilet.  The problems I have are a mental aversion.  On the odd occasion I have used the 'disabled' toilet (what a strange name, it is not the toilet that is disabled, it works perfectly!) it is because the normal one is out of use.  And it has always been a lot cleaner and more pleasant.

So should I just grit my teeth and bear the normal toilets?  Or should I ignore the (perceived) thoughts of those who think I should not use the disabled toilet.  Or is it the case I should not use the disabled toilet at all as they are only intended for those who are physically disabled?

Parents
  • The regulars on this site know me as the guy who photographs everything.

    Including public toilets Grin

    I came across these disgusting ones on my travels.

  • Hi Robert 123 .

    These loos still seem pretty decent to me - in comparison to some of the atrocious things I have come across.

    I mean: there is toilet paper (!!!!) and there' s a functioning seat that can be covered in the toilet paper. The dirt on the floor looks like dirty damp floor with no obvious excrements smeared all over the floor, seat or walls.  There is no sanitary protection littering the floor.

    Top tip number 1: when using a loo with a wet floor: first pull up or fold up your trouser legs if you are wearing trousers before you pull your trousers down :-) 

    Tip 2 you can buy paper toilet seat covers.

    Tip 3: use a tissue to touch doors and locks and taps.

    Tip 4: don't drop anything on the floor :D 

    I like the pictures. I can almost feel the atmosphere there. (And smell it)

    PS I have a question for you

    If you also take pictures of things: my phone automatically uploads everything to I-cloud, I have paid to expand my i-cloud, but because I take too many photo's I don't delete, that is also getting full up and I am feeling stressed about it because I don't have a computer brain.  
    In the old days, I accepted my photo's got lost if I didn't do something about it, but now as it happens automatically I can't bring myself to actually delete them, and the next I-cloud back up is very expensive. Have you got a system?

  • I downloaded images to a computer.  Process them, this includes deleting undesirable ones.  Then I back them up onto SD cards that go into tablets and mobile phones.

    I also organise them by year/month and event or place visited.

Reply Children
  • Lonewarrior, lets start a new topic. But what shall we call it... and where to start it - adult or miscellaneous chat?  And what should the name of the topic be :-) 

  • I have collected all the receipts I have ever had.

    I have almost all of them.

    It is amazing to know that someone else does the same.

  • Oh my word! If you find out which planet your from could you let me know!

    I To need structure but need others to do it for me. My email inbox is 8334 yikes, my pictures are mounting up but I cannot bring myself to delete any, I suffer with dyslexia but mainly short term memory.

    I find patterns in everything I see, I collect things that are not important, currently my obsession is receipts and price tags for all the things I am buying to please me, my new look, Victorian clothing and anything that makes it complete, each time I go shopping I take every receipt write a discription if what the item is in detail,then staple them all together.?

    no idea why.

    I saw a manikin type figure made from plumbing fittings which I find funny but shows imagination to give a smile as well. I found myself thinking it would be good to take pictures of all the ones I could find and archive them with dates and locations and each part used in its creation?

    I also count things when I am stressed, it seems important for me to do all these things but I have no idea why?

    could it be because my memory is so shockingly poor that I try to compensate to try and reinforce it? I am sure most of it is because of my inability to remember things, why must I keep counting letters on a box in front of me? I look at it often, I guess how many letters but never quite trust my guess so am compelled to count to make sure, not always the right guess.

    ()

  • That’s interesting Procastinator, do you know which planet you’re from? I’m not from this planet either which is what makes it so exciting probably to be here. Do you ever communicate with your people from back home? 

  • Ah - Thank you!

     :-) . I am from a different planet. I need structure but find it hard to implement it in my own life. The result is an email inbox with 4803 (just checked) unread emails and a constant struggle not to drown in the surrounding chaos. 

    Maybe I ought to start a new thread on this topic? It seems fascinating to me that there are autistics who endogenically create their structure and those like me who need it so badly but like almost need someone to show them how to go about creating it?

    Until the diagnosis was stamped on me (by no initiation of my own) I never really connected to the world of aspies, as the perceived care, organised and structured way of dealing with special interests is so foreign no me. 

    I have a great love for instance of looking at facades of buildings. But I don't do anything with it (I haven't got a clue about it)

    It is as if my fascination is meaningless looking without organisation. I also have a very bad working and visual memory - I wonder if the two are linked in anyway.