Malta now have Disabled Toilets

21 May 2013: 

I have recently travelled to Malta for some time with my extended family.

The last time I was in Malta was 14 years ago and a lot has changed since then.

One particular change that has occurred to the betterment of disabled access is that there are now disabled toilets throughout Malta.

In 1999, the only disabled toilets were at the airport and the hospital. Now in 2013 the disabled toilets are almost everywhere.

Even though you do find them at various places throughout Malta it is always a mixed bag as to how accessible they are.
My first experience was at Don Berto in Birgu. They were elated that they had a toilet I could use. It was clean and new however for some odd reason, the sink was the size of a dinner table and the space in front of the toilet was about 30 centimetres away from this big sink. Odd!
Many disabled toilets in Malta had their doors open into the toilet and once you got your wheelchair in there was not much room to shut the door behind you!!

A few toilets had the handrails behind you or on the other side of the sink

My all time favourite was the disabled toilet I had to go up two stairs to get to. In the toilet was a ladder and some other building equipment.

It is wonderful to know that improvements are happening in Malta, however, it would be better if the disabled toilet designers could discuss what works and what doesn't work with designers from other countries like Australia or America who have gone through all matters of teething