American wheelchair-user exposes appalling difficulties faced by disabled visitors to the UK after he is forced to lay down on a urine soaked floor during visit to a train station in London
- Shane Burcaw, who has a muscle wasting disease, uses a travel urinal
- But he needs to be lying down to do so, and many facilities lack changing tables
- Shane and girlfriend Hannah Aylward filmed the difficult situation for their vlog
Shane Burcaw, from Minneapolis, Minnesota has exposed the difficulties for disabled people in using public restrooms
An American wheelchair-user has exposed the appalling difficulties he faces after being forced to lie on a urine-soaked floor in a London public toilet.
Shane Burcaw, from Minneapolis, was visiting London with his girlfriend Hannah Aylward when the pair encountered difficulties using the accessible toilet in St Pancras International Station.
In a video taken by the couple, Hannah is seen being forced to lay Shane on the floor covered in urine and dirty toilet paper in order for him to use a travel urinal.
The couple posted the 'embarrassing' video online to highlighted the daily difficulties faced by disabled people in situations most of us take for granted.
Shane, who has a neuromuscular disease, said: 'There was no changing table inside, which is what I normally use to go to the bathroom.
'I need to be laying down, not in my wheelchair, in order to comfortably use my travel urinal.
'Because there was no changing table, and because the toilet was too big, I had to lay on the floor, which was unfortunately covered in urine and other mysterious liquids.'
In the video, Hannah tries to lift Shane onto the toilet which is too big for his body, putting him at risk him falling in. She tries twice to lift him in two separate positions without luck.
Shane says: 'I'm gonna fall in. Or lay me on the floor. I'll just do it like that'.
Hannah tries to lower Shane in two separate positions onto the toilet but the seat is too big for him
Finally Shane was forced to lie on the dirty and urine soaked floor to be able to relieve himself
Hannah is forced to lay her boyfriend of three years on the floor of the public restroom, which was covered with toilet paper and urine.
'Oh! It's wet. Something's wet. Oh God,' Shane is heard saying. 'I'm lying on a peepee floor.'
'Should have brought my toilet seat,' he adds.
The couple have said that people find their relationship 'peculiar' since Hannah (pictured) is not disabled
Hannah explains to the viewer that this is is solution the couple are often foced to adopt to pee in public.
'It's all wet! And the toilet paper is stuck to my foot,' she can be heard saying.
Shane says changing tables should be available in all public restrooms, especially larger ones that can accommodate adults.
'Many of the accessible toilets we encountered in the UK did not have any changing tables at all.
'Not only is this a problem for me, but it's a problem for people with or without disabilities who have children that need a changing table.'
'Otherwise, we were really impressed with the accessibility in the UK compared to what we have here in the US.'
Shane and Hannah, who is able-bodied, have been vlogging about their interabled relationship for about six months, hoping to reduce stigma around disabilities and normalize relationships like theirs.
In the bio from their YouTube channel, the couple say that they often find people find their relationship 'peculiar' and that while Shane's disability plays a huge role in their lives, it is not in the way people usually think.
A HS1 Ltd Spokesperson said: 'We are very disappointed to hear about Mr Burcaw’s experience and apologise for any distress caused.'
'We are speaking to station management to find out more about the circumstances of the incident and will look into Mr Burcaw’s recommendations for improving accessibility in the station.'
Shane and Hannah have started vlogging about their interabled relationship, hoping to reduce stigma around disabilities and normalize relationships like theirs
Hannah and Shane have been together for three years but started documenting their life on Youtube about six months ago
