Most local authorities will sell or give you a RADAR key or you can buy one online. In order to gain access to a toilet with a RADAR lock you will need a RADAR key. Although the website is in German, I used Google translate to help me understand what to do. These keys cost €23, and you can find out further information by visiting the CBF Darmstadt website. When I applied, I sent a copy of my Blue Badge which was accepted. In order to obtain a key you will need to send proof of your disability to the organisation CBF Darmstadt. This is very similar to a RADAR key in that it enables access to accessible toilets. If you are travelling to Europe, the RADAR key will not work so you will need to buy a Eurokey. There are also still some establishments using their own locks, so you may find in these cases that you still have to ask to use the toilet. However, it is always worth pointing out that not everyone using an accessible toilet looks disabled, as the person could have a non-visible disability, such as a colostomy bag, which means they need to use these toilets just as much as me. Where this is the case I frequently encounter people rushing out of the toilet looking rather flustered and embarrassed when they see me waiting. Using your RADAR keyĪlthough over 400 local authorities use the NKS, as well as many public, voluntary and commercial organisations, there are still plenty of places that don’t use them. Fortunately, the introduction of the NKS meant disabled people could now use the toilet without having to ask someone if they could be let in. It also sometimes seemed to be the case that the key couldn’t be located by the staff member, or the person who had it wasn’t on duty that day.
The first RADAR locks were fitted in 1981 to help keep accessible toilets free and clean for disabled people.īefore RADAR locks were introduced, many establishments locked the accessible toilet themselves which meant that disabled people could only use the toilet on request. The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, which is now Disability Rights UK, worked in partnership with Nicholls & Clarke, the inventors of the RADAR lock and together they created the National Key Scheme (NKS). In this article, Independent mobility consultant Helen Dolphin MBE explains what RADAR keys are and how you can go about purchasing one if you have a disability. People who need to use accessible toilets will know that many of them in the UK are fitted with a Nicholls & Clarke (N&C) Phlexicare RADAR National Key Scheme lock, which can only be opened with a Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) key. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window).Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window).