Initially growing up, I had an initial fear of public restrooms, then I would not use hand dryers. There is a point where I prefer hand towels compared to hand dryers, but more hand dryers are being placed instead of paper towels and as such I have been made to live with the hand dryers. I am not the only autistic person who has or had issues with hand dryers, however as they are becoming more commonplace in my life, I have learned to adapt to using hand dryers as a normal part of my routine.

This has taken place more recently as my employer has switched from paper towels to hand dryers to cut costs. If anyone is a connoisseur of names, they have chosen the Xlerator brand, which is quite loud and powerful. It has taken me some time to understand the way that the hand dryer works but eventually I learned how it runs its cycle and eventually understood that in conjunction with the hand soap, which is also automatic, this could be a better way to practice good hand hygiene.

There could be many arguments behind this, but I personally know that this one I am not going to win. There was a time when I was unwell that the Pennsylvania Turnpike piloted doing this practice in their service plazas. I am among many people who wrote a letter to the commission outlining the noise barriers that autistic people face in public restrooms and how things like hand dryers are just one more thing in the many challenges to provide them comfort when they need it. The pilot program was discontinued weeks later but proved the point of advocacy. I just wish that I were well when I was advocating.

Nonetheless, there are points in life when you are going to have to relieve yourself that you are going to have to deal with things that you find uncomfortable whether that is a smell or sound, it is just a part of life and I guess over the years I have just got used to managing my way through them. Although there has been some regression in this area, over the years it has become more manageable to the point I can get through what I need to do to meet my personal needs.

Some things in life you are not going to get out of. The past few years have taught me that. It can be hard to adapt to different things and change is not easy for an autistic person at all. But it takes being patient and giving yourself grace in the process. It is also to know how your body works and how to manage yourself in the process while being able to meet your personal needs.

Then there are times when you just need to find what works for you. There may be a point that things never work for you no matter what you can do to avoid them. Therefore, you must improvise yourself so that you are able to enjoy life in the way that you need to. In some instances, as far as meeting my toileting needs, that may mean that I use the family restroom to have certain needs met opposed to the general men’s room. While there are family (or disabled) toilets in situations, no one should judge the situation behind why someone may need to use them, as not all disabilities are visible or may need to be applied in all situations.

Regardless, there are situations that may need to have some judgements and adaptations to them. It is not for anyone to judge as to why or how they must be. We or the person caring for the autistic person only need to know the circumstances behind the way that we need to meet our needs and how we adapt to certain things that are challenging to us. However, there is hope it will be better.