Referring to the JTA Toilet Award 2023 winning works: Part 3
Presenter・Moderator
- ＜Presenter１＞“Children with Developmental Disabilities and Toilets”
Mr. Akira Nishimura (Yokohama Rehabilitation Center) - ＜Presenter２＞Eye-catching art works as a “Device to make children calm dawn”
~Considering about the children with developmental disabilities who can’t wait while their parents use the toilet~
Ms. Keiko Sato (TOTO Ltd.) - ＜Moderator＞Mikiko Takahashi, Ph.D. (Director of JTA, Manager of R&D Division of Comany Inc.)
Overview
Children with Developmental Disabilities and Toilets
(Moderator: Takahashi)
Thank you very much for your participation.
We would now like to begin the 40th session of “Let us know more about our Toilet Story.” My name is Takahashi from the Toilet Association, and I will be serving as today’s moderator. The theme of today’s session is “Developmental Disabilities.” To begin, Mr. Nishimura from the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center will talk about the difficulties faced by individuals with developmental disabilities when using the toilet, as well as the background behind these challenges. Following that, Ms. Sato from TOTO Ltd., one of the winners of the JTA Toilet Award 2023, will deliver a lecture on “Eye-catching art works as a ‘Device to make children calm dawn’.”
(Mr. Nishimura)
My name is Nishimura, and I work as an architect at the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center. Today, I will be speaking on the theme of “Children with Developmental Disabilities and Toilets.”
My primary work involves providing consultation on private residences, and about 60 to 70 percent of these cases concern children with developmental disabilities. The term developmental disabilities is a general designation that includes ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and LD (Learning Disabilities). Each of these has its own characteristics: ASD involves difficulties with communication and social interaction; ADHD is associated with inattention and hyperactivity; and LD involves challenges in specific learning areas such as reading and writing.
One highly effective approach in supporting individuals with such characteristics is “Structuring,” which means creating a visually clear and well-organized environment. This is a method of support systematized in the United States. At first, as an architect, I misunderstood it as something like “concrete structures,” but in fact, it refers to practical methods that make daily life easier. For example, placing stickers at the entrance to indicate where shoes should be arranged, or illustrating the day’s schedule with pictures, allows children to anticipate what comes next, thereby reducing confusion. In a household environment where there are no fixed rules, this can serve as a trigger for “creating rules.”
In 2018, we conducted a paper-based questionnaire survey on public toilets with 1,164 parents of children attending Special Needs Schools (intellectual-disability divisions only) in Yokohama City. This research was carried out in collaboration with Professor Noguchi of Nippon Institute of Technology and Professor Ohara of Yokohama National University.
The results showed that about 80 percent of respondents had experienced difficulties when using public toilets, with this tendency being particularly strong among children with more severe intellectual disabilities. Reported problems included physical issues such as “dirt and odor,” as well as challenges related to cross-gender assistance, where, for example, mothers of boys face difficulties in providing help.
Another major issue is sensory hypersensitivity. Many children have difficulties with sudden loud noises of hand dryers, light, odors and so on. Since sensory characteristics are extremely diverse, our center also uses a Sensory Profile that classifies traits into four categories: “sensory hypersensitivity”, “sensory hyposensitivity (low registration)”, “sensory seeking”, and “sensory avoidance”. Based on this profile, we design individualized programs tailored to each child.
When using multi-purpose toilets, another frequent issue reported is that children become interested in the emergency call button or open/close button and press them, sometimes causing the door to open while the parent is still using the toilet. In one shopping center, it was reported that over 90 percent of emergency call button alerts were actually false alarms. This highlights the need to reconsider the placement of buttons and whether they should be covered.
Eye-catching art works as a “Device to make children calm dawn”
~Considering about the children with developmental disabilities who can’t wait while their parents use the toilet~
(Takahashi)
Thank you very much, Mr. Nishimura.
Next, we are pleased to welcome Ms. Sato from TOTO Ltd. to give her presentation. This work was awarded the JTA Toilet Award 2023. The judges commented: “I was impressed by this idea of showing mural art to the children to calm down.” “The mural art itself has the effect of improving the atmosphere of the toilet itself. Therefore this can be highly praised as an innovative proposal.”
Mr. Sato, we look forward to your presentation.
(Mr. Sato)
I am Sato from TOTO LTD. Today, I would like to talk about the “Eye-catching art works as a ‘Device to make children calm dawn’”, which won the JTA Toilet Award.
We always strive for “public toilets that are easy for as many people as possible to use.” The phrase “as many people as possible” reflects our awareness that we may not yet be accommodating everyone, as well as our determination to expand that circle of inclusivity. This idea was born out of a desire to create toilets that are more user-friendly for a wider range of people, with a specific focus on individuals with developmental disabilities.
[The Background]
The need for shared, gender-neutral restrooms has been increasing due to diverse users, including the elderly and people with disabilities who require assistance from someone of the opposite sex, their families, and transgender individuals. We often hear serious feedback from parents of children with developmental disabilities, such as, “I’m worried my child might wander off, so I often hold it in and don’t go to the restroom myself,” and “Since my child is the opposite gender, there are very few restrooms we can use together as they get older.”
Our own survey revealed that 45% of parents who go out with a child of the opposite gender feel resistance to using gender separated toilets. Many also expressed that having a restroom available outside the main restroom area that can be used regardless of gender would be very helpful.
The idea came from a conversation we had while conducting interviews at a restroom in Yokohama Station. A parent told us, “It’s helpful that we can go into a toilet cubicle together, but to keep my child from wandering off, I ended up using the toilet while still holding their arm.”
[The Solution]
With the cooperation of Ms. Hashiguchi, a consultant who also has a son with a developmental disability, we devised a “wait-inducing” solution that helps children wait naturally. Ms. Hashiguchi shared her conviction, saying, “A parent losing their child is a life-threatening problem that could lead to an incident or accident.”
Children with developmental disabilities sometimes have a trait where they can focus intensely on specific tasks, such as counting, tracing with their fingers, or finding small differences. We categorized these elements into six themes: “counting,” “searching,” “moving,” “storytelling,” “associating,” and “being a geek,” and created four types of art that incorporate them: “Circles 1-10,” “Pi,” “Spiral Staircase,” and “Various Pigeons.”
For example, the “Pi” art was inspired by the Yamanote Line route map, and for “Various Pigeons,” we added eyes to only certain birds as a special consideration for children who have difficulty with color identification.
One of these art pieces was installed by AEON MALL at the restroom in their Okinawa Rycom store. We received very positive feedback from parents of children with developmental disabilities who used it. Comments included, “My child, who usually only waits for about 30 seconds, was able to wait while counting the numbers in the art,” and “This was the first time my child waited for me to finish using the toilet and washing my hands.”
However, our research at AEON MALL Okinawa Rycom store also showed that over half of the children couldn’t even enter an unfamiliar restroom, regardless of the art. We also heard from people who didn’t know that this kind of restroom was available in their local area. This has made us keenly aware of the importance of providing opportunities for people to have positive restroom experiences and of the need for better information dissemination.
Questions, Answers & Comments
(Q1: N)
Do they dislike hand dryers because of the sudden loud noise when someone else uses them? Do they also dislike the sound of a hand dryer when they use it themselves? Are there other sounds they dislike besides hand dryers? What about the sound from sound masking devices?
(A1: Mr. Nishimura)
Generally, many people dislike sounds that others make, sudden noises, and loud noises. Regarding other sounds, some people are startled by the sound masking devices (Otohime). In addition, others dislike the sound of automatic urinal flushing or a fan. A common trait of people with developmental disabilities is difficulty with foresight, which makes them particularly sensitive to sounds that start unexpectedly. These sounds are often described as something they can’t get used to, similar to the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.
(Q2: H)
Are there different design considerations for toilets for people with LD and ADHD, which are two major types of disabilities?
(A2: Mr. Nishimura)
I don’t think people with LD alone require much environmental support. However, many people also have co-occurring ADHD and ASD, and they would need support for ADHD traits like restlessness.
(Q3: G)
During a disaster, the environment changes drastically, which can lead to confusion. What kind of preparations can be made? Also, what considerations are necessary when using portable or handy toilets?
(A3: Mr. Nishimura)
Adapting to the huge environmental changes during a disaster is incredibly challenging. A place that’s normally okay for running around, like a gym, suddenly becomes a shelter where that’s not allowed. If someone doesn’t clearly explain these rule changes, it can cause a lot of confusion. As a preventive measure, some parents have even practiced using handy toilets with their children and support staff before a disaster strikes, so they can be prepared for unexpected situations.
(Q4: K)
Does “Do children feel reluctant to use a restroom different from their own gender?” refer to the child’s feeling or the parent’s feeling?
(A4: Ms. Sato)
The parent’s feeling
(C1: K)
Based on the response, are you suggesting that children with developmental disabilities may not have had that feeling? The explanation I provided might be easily misunderstood.
(C2: O)
Children have their self-esteem. So children with no disabilities feel embarrassed and conspicuous using a multi-purpose toilet and think it is not for them. This was the same case when my son was in the middle to upper grades of elementary school. He is determined to use the men’s toilet because he’s a boy. That’s why he had a traumatic experience where he couldn’t figure out how to flush the toilet. This experience made him unable to use toilets when he was out. He refused to use a multi-purpose toilet because he believed it was only for people with disabilities.
(Q5: H)
How can we resolve conflicting needs among people with disabilities, such as the case of an emergency call button cover (which is normally necessary for someone with a developmental disability but unnecessary for someone with a visual impairment)?
(A5: Ms. Sato)
A potential approach would be to create variations. For example, instead of installing sound masking devices in every toilet cubicle, you could provide some cubicles without them for people who do not need them.
(Takahashi)
Thank you very much. I am always inspired by your passion for toilets. I encourage everyone to apply for the JTA Toilet Award 2025. Thank you for today.
