I THOUGHT that my article this week should reflect the importance that the Oxford Mail’s Jeremy Smith has placed on the need to improve the public toilets in Oxford City.

However, I am not willing to join him in carrying out any decoration needed but all credit to him for doing so.

For disabled people, knowing where the disabled toilets are is one of the main, if not the main, component of journey planning.

Fortunately, editors of maps are becoming more aware of this need and including this information.

Niall, my fellow columnist, in his article some months ago, pointed out that many disabled people are unable to wait for long; he then went on to say that he had, at times, had to abandon his outing in order to go home to change his clothes. So I can support him in his plea for members of the public to respect these toilets and the reason they are there.

But how accessible are some of these toilets? There are very strict guidelines governing the design and layout which must be adhered to. How is it then that some places are putting in inaccessible ones?

I recently attended a day conference at the newly opened Ruskin College in Headington. Naturally at a conference lasting all day I was going to need a toilet. No worries: this was a new building so it must be accessible. How wrong I was.

Well, I suppose I should have been be grateful that, by pushing the door with the wheel of my scooter, I could get inside. However, the scooter took up the whole length of the room. My scooter is very small, but even so there was no space to turn round to get out.

Was I going to be missed?

How long before someone realised I was not there?

Panic for a minute, but banging on the door brought a saviour who was able to open the door from outside and release me. Next time I made sure someone was with me. But this should not be so. Independence is very important to disabled people. However, there should be room for a companion as some people need help. A complaint has gone in but what can be done about it I am not sure.

A survey of the disabled toilets at the JR some time ago revealed that they were being used for storing cleaning equipment and stacks of toilet rolls. This is against the rules. But a quick complaint to PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service, 01865 221473) resulted in this being put right. If you come across any abuse or misuse of the disabled toilets in any of the OUH hospitals, then don’t hesitate to phone on the number above.

The orange alarm cord: if you find it is tied up, please undo it as it should be only a few centimetres from the floor so that if anyone falls they can reach it to call for help. Sometimes cleaners tie them up while cleaning then forget to untie them.

There is plenty more to say about disabled toilets, but this may have been enough to alert you to how important they are to people like me.

Please respect them.