An accessible toilet is a special toilet

Toilet

A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...

 designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities

Physical disability

A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....

.

Public toilets and restrooms can present accessibility

Accessibility

Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...

 challenges for people with disabilities, for example those in wheelchair

Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

s. Stalls may not be able to fit a wheelchair, and transferring between the wheelchair and the toilet seat

Toilet seat

A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...

 may pose a challenge. Accessible toilets are designed to address these issues by providing more space and bars for users to grab and hold during transfers.

Legal requirements

Some countries have requirements for public restrooms to ensure accessibility. In the United States, most new construction for public use must be built to ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....

 standards for accessibility. In the United Kingdom, the Disability Discrimination Act 2005

Disability Discrimination Act 2005

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Section 20 - Short title, interpretation, commencement and extent:The following orders have been made under section 20:*...

 requires organizations and businesses to make adjustments to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Recommendations appearing in legal requirements

• A wheelchair-accessible toilet should be at a height to help the user on and off the toilet, with handles (grab bars).
• Good practice is also to provide an alarm (in the form of a red cord, connected to a buzzer and a flashing red light which reaches the ground) in case of emergency.
• The sink and hand dryer should be at a height for wheelchair users to be able to reach comfortably.
• The door of an accessible toilet, and the doors leading to it, need to be wide enough for a wheelchair. Particular care needs to be taken to notice how much space is left when a door is open.
• Accessible toilets need larger floor space than other cubicles to allow space for a wheelchair to maneuver. This space is also useful for people who are not necessarily wheelchair users, but still need physical support from someone else. Very good practice would be having a changing table, however this happens very rarely.

Sources

• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   Enable Programme
• UK Charity Mencap
  Mencap
  The Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the UK that works with people with a learning disability.-Profile:Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability and their families and carers...
  
  campaign "Changing places, changing lives" www.changing-places.org.