Malaysian Paraplegic Confronts Able-Bodied Man For Using Handicap Toilet In Mall
Living as a person with disabilities can be extra challenging, which is why there are facilities in place to help them navigate the world a little more easily.
One of the most essential facilities is handicap toilets. However, every now and then, an able-bodied person will ignore the designation and use it for themselves instead.
This was the case for one Malaysian paraplegic who recently confronted an able-bodied man for allegedly using a mall’s handicap toilet.
Source: Instagram
This resulted in a heated exchange between them, with the latter replying rudely and condescendingly to the paraplegic.
The paraplegic also called the mall’s management to see if any action could be taken, but they allegedly let the man go with a polite warning.
Able-bodied man was using handicap toilet to wash clothes
The incident gained attention after Malaysian paraplegic athlete Daniel Lee shared a video of the confrontation to his Instagram on Tuesday (21 Mar).
View this post on Instagram
In the first post, Mr Lee recalled suspecting that the occupied handicap toilet of a shopping mall was not in use by a person with disabilities (PWD).
While he said he would have usually gone somewhere else, he decided to wait it out. This ended up dragging on for one hour and a half.
Throughout the period, he claimed to have knocked “3-5 times” to make sure there was someone inside, only to be met with replies of, “I’m not done!”.
His suspicions were confirmed when an able-bodied man finally walked out of the toilet.
In the video, the alleged offender could be seen holding three bags and a bucket full of bottles.
Source: Instagram
According to the OP, the man in white was using the toilet to wash his clothes. He reportedly had just moved out of his home and wanted to do some laundry before returning to his hometown.
Able-bodied man became defensive & seemingly disparaged paraplegic
In an update shared the next day (22 Mar), Mr Lee posted two more videos of the confrontation to shed more light on the matter.
In the first video, the able-bodied man appeared calm and even apologised when he was first called out.
Despite that, the OP felt it was disingenuous as he changed his tune after he mentioned calling security.
Source: Instagram
It is at this point that the able-bodied man apparently raised his voice repeatedly at Mr Lee.
In a few instances, he seemed to be downplaying his mistake, asking why security had to be present when he had not disturbed Mr Lee.
When Mr Lee questioned whether he has a disability, he replied disparagingly
Of course I don’t. I’m not in a wheelchair like you.
Prior to that, he had called Mr Lee “bodoh” — or stupid in Malay — after telling the latter he should have called security earlier.
Once security staff was present, the man supposedly walked off. This prompted Mr Lee to go after him while repeatedly asking him to stay and talk to security.
Source: Instagram
The man was visibly annoyed and could be seen continuously reprimanding OP while walking away.
Paraplegic shared handicap toilet incident to call for better PWD policies
Mr Lee shared that the mall’s management was ultimately only able to politely warn the alleged offender to not repeat his actions.
He then took the opportunity to call for change among able-bodied people and businesses, claiming this is what PWDs face on a daily basis.
Source: Instagram
He highlighted that there are penalties for illegal parking in handicap spots and fines for smoking in handicap toilets, but none for abusing handicap toilets.
As such, he requested businesses like the mall to do the same for able-bodied people who use the toilets.
He also reiterated that his purpose was not to shame the alleged offender. Additionally, he implored viewers to not belittle or identify him.
Regardless, Mr Lee thanked the mall’s management staff for their “professionalism and help”, adding that they assisted him as quickly as they could.
We hope this case raises awareness of the misuse of handicap toilets and deters others from making the same mistake.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Instagram.
