Is it OK to use them if I'm not handicapped? What if someone's already using all of the regular stalls? Should I wait? I know there's no law here, but surely there are some norms, ethics, and/or ideas.

Sometimes there's only a handicapped stall. Are you supposed to take a dump in the urinal, KingPin style?
I dont think so... they are there just incase a handicapped person needs it. It's not like a parking space.... you aren't leaving your shorts there to claim its yours for the next few hours.

I use 'em, if there's no other option & there's no person in a wheelchair waiting in line.

it's not like I'm in there very long, so it's not like parking my car in a handicapped spot.

Good question...

I use them, and maybe you remember that I am a staunch supporter of those with disabilities. (my recent thread: "You retard")

I see no reason why a person with a disability cannot wait in line with the rest of us.

Having said that, if I were in line with a person who needed that handicapped stall, I would offer it to her. But I would do that for an elderly woman or a pregnant woman, too.

oh lordy, those things are spacious, i love to have room to read when im on the can

Well, we'll make an exception for a bathroom w/ only one stall that has been made accessible.

This could take a few hours.

That's what brought up the debate with a friend of mine. I like the extra room. Hell, the normal stall in my office is so small that I feel like I can barely fit. Maybe I'm "handicapped" based on my enormous ass.

Just b/c someone is handicapped doesn’t mean they can’t wait for a stall to be available. I love the extra room in those things.

Well think about it. You're taking a duece, not going shopping for hours... and if it takes you hours (especially in a public washroom) then go home. I don't see how this topic can be a topic at all.

But personally I love handicapped stalls. As peeps said, the more room the better... especially while reading. I think they should just make every stall handicapped accesible... heck then we don't need pointless debates like these.

Don't you think that's rude, though?

"I can use any toilet in here, but I'm gonna use the only one you can get your chair into b/c ... mmm mmm mmm ... it's soooo comfortable. Suck my wind and wait, bitch!"

I don't think I've ever been in a bathroom where a handicap stall was being used by an actual "differently abled" person. Of course, I avoid public restrooms like the plague, no matter how good the book I'm currently reading is.

It's not like I come up to a row of stalls looking for the handicapped stall just so I can use it. Never have I done that and never will I. For one I usually never use public toilets, and second, I try to use the cleanest one.

If there's crap(literally and figuratively) all over the place I'm not going to use it and if the handicapped one is the only clean one... so be it. But if there's a handicapped guy waiting I'm not going to scoop him in line. If the handicapped guy happens to come in while I'm in there, he can wait. Just like I would wait in line for someone to use the toilet or anything else. I don't find I'm being rude because I chose a clean stall over a dirty one, even if I'm not handicapped. If he gets pissed and thinks I'm a horrible person, then so be it.

I think there was a skit on In Living Color back in the day, where Damon Wayans' "Handiman" character came to save someone in a wheelchair who needed to get into a handicapped stall, which was occupied by someone who "wasn't even handicapped!" I think Handiman beat the guy up.

I agree. I ONLY use the handicap stall here at my office. It's so nice to be able to stretch out your legs.

Kind of funny story, the only time I ran into the problem of a handicap toilet was with Harry Knowles of Aint-It-Cool-News at the Episode 2 midnight showing here in Austin . The guy is fucking huge. He had some sort of injury and was on a walker, and there was a line to the toilet. I was in front of him and the next stall to open up was the handicap one. I thought of offering it up, but didn't want to embarass him in front of a lot of people so I went ahead. When I came out he was pissing at the stall like the big boys.

I've never seen a handicapped person in the bathroom before. But if I did, I would probably let them go ahead of me, assuming that I didn't have to go that bad. I think that I have only used that stall maybe once or twice, and both times it was at the hockey game (= long lines).

And unlike you boys, I go in, do my duty and leave.

My .02...

If there's only one stall within a restroom, more than likely it's "accessible," I have no problems with waiting for some one to finish their business. I only get annoyed in that situation when 10 minutes passes and I can hear the rustling of newspaper pages. Then i tap my toe a little loud and wheel back and forth in front of the stall.

Now, where I get really annoyed is when there are multiple stalls and the only one in use, typically the only "accessible" one in the restroom, is the one someone's using. So when an able bodied person has the option of using one of the smaller stalls, they should use those.

I use the term "accessible" loosely because there's still a good chance of the stall not being accomodating to me and my wheelchair.

So, speaking as a person who knows handicapp bathrooms well, those are my thoughts.

there are no handicapped people in my office (well, physically, anyway ) and the h/c stall is lovely & spacious. unfortunately it has a double-flush toilet in it - it's actually disgusting to use (use your imaginations).

so I use the regular stalls, but not cuz I'm noble.

So wait...you don't flush or wash your hands?! Sick!!! Actually...that's kinda hot.