October 1 was supposedly a landmark day for people with disabilities when stage three of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force.

The new duties require that anyone providing goods, services or facilities to the public make reasonable adjustments to physical features so that disabled people can use them.

Good, I thought, next time I visit a restaurant or a public house they should have an accessible toilet, because up until now the majority of public venues have denied wheelchair users like me the basic human right, in other words an accessible toilet.

When stage three of the DDA was first introduced, both in public and private services, we saw the introduction of more accessible toilets.

Wheelchair users were limited in their choice of venues by the toilet facilities and after the introduction of stage three of the DDA saw things improve, they provided a unisex accessible toilet, a facility that both sexes can use.

But as both sexes can use them, they fitted changing facilities in our new unisex toilets and offered these for the use of breastfeeding.

Now I can wait crossed legged outside the unisex for ten minutes or more because it is being used for a nappy change or wait 30 minutes because a mother is breastfeeding.

So why is this a landmark day when we have to queue?

Perhaps in future developments the nappy changing and breastfeeding will be separate from the wheelchair accessible toilet and at long last these toilets will be 'free to pee'.

John Coxhead (name and address supplied)