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M'sian para-athlete confronts man for using handicap restroom to wash his clothes

This article is more than 12 months old

A Malaysian para-athlete waited for over an hour to use the handicap toilet at a mall in Kuala Lumpur because an able-bodied man was using the facility to wash his clothes. 

Things between the two escalated when the para-athlete, Daniel Lee, informed the mall security of the man’s actions.   

Sharing his experience in an Instagram post, Lee said that while waiting to use the toilet, he suspected it was occupied by a person without disabilities. As such, he decided to wait it out instead of finding another toilet elsewhere.

He knocked on the door around five times to make his presence known, and said the man replied to his knocks with “I’m not done” each time. Lee said the man exited the toilet after an hour-and-a-half.

In the video posted, the man is carrying bags and a bucket. 

According to Lee, when he first confronted the man, the latter apologised for his actions, and was “rather calm”. 

“He said he just moved out of his place and wanted to wash his clothes before taking the bus back to his hometown, and that he didn’t want to wash it in the regular men’s restroom.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Daniel Lee (@pushtoinspire)

 

Things escalated, however, when Lee decided to inform security of the incident. 

The man tries to leave the area before security arrives, and is heard calling Lee “bodoh” for not calling the security earlier. 

At one point, when asked if he had a disability, the man responds disparagingly: “Of course I don’t. I’m not in a wheelchair like you.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Daniel Lee (@pushtoinspire)

 

Lee said the mall’s management eventually settled the matter by warning the man not to repeat his actions. 

In his post, Lee requested netizens not to mock the man, adding that his post was made only to raise awareness of the misuse of handicap toilets, and for more to be done about the issue.

malaysiaDISABILITIESsocial mediadispute