For people with impaired vision, going to a public toilet can be extremely difficult. A new idea could help. But Switzerland is lagging behind.
Feb 9, 2026, 7:21 p.mFeb 9, 2026, 7:21 p.m
Benjamin Weinmann / ch media
Molly Burke can’t believe it. In a video that’s getting a lot of traction on social media, the Canadian influencer shows how she could easily improve her life. Burke has lost her sight. In the clip, she stands in front of a bathroom at a guide dog center in Australia and explains the board that is right next to the door.
The board shows a tactile floor plan of the bathroom including an explanation in Braille. “Can you imagine how stressful it is when I have to go to the toilet?” Burke asks her followers. Because every public bathroom looks different.
It’s a gauntlet for them every time, explains Burke. After all, she never knows where the toilet cubicles are, where there is a larger cubicle where she can take her guide dog with her, where the toilet paper holder is, where the washbasin, where the soap dispenser and where the hand dryer is.
“This is a game changer,” Burke says of the board. “I want these everywhere.” The Swiss Central Association for the Blind also doesn’t seem averse to such boards. We welcome measures that would promote the autonomy of people with visual impairments, says spokeswoman Kathrin Schellenberg.
In Switzerland, the Disability-Free Architecture Department works on more inclusive building designs to make the lives of people with disabilities easier. The SIA 500 standard defines the minimum requirements for obstacle-free buildings in this country. To date, this standard does not provide for a tactile floor plan like the one in Molly Burke’s video, says Eva Schmidt, the department’s managing director. But: “One of these can be helpful for finding the cubicles and other controls in the bathroom.”
But at the moment this is wishful thinking, says Schmidt. First, it is important to ensure that the existing, minimum requirements of the SIA 500 standard are adhered to. Since 2009, this has stipulated, among other things, that public, gender-separated toilet rooms must be labeled with tactilely recognizable labels. The problem: “During the building inspection, the building authorities often do not check whether these detailed requirements of the standard have actually been implemented.” Enforcing the minimum standard is therefore the top priority for the department.
Survey reveals big differences
A survey by CH Media among institutions such as cantonal authorities, teaching institutes or companies that operate public toilets shows this discrepancy between standard requirements and reality – despite a commitment to accessibility.
For example, at Zurich Airport, with its 58 publicly accessible bathrooms, it is said that the SIA 500 standard has not been implemented with regard to tactile labels because this was never required by the responsible authorities as part of the previous approval procedures, controls or requirements. “Accordingly, there have been no specific requirements for implementation so far,” says spokeswoman Jasmin Bodmer-Breu. Tactile spatial plans are also not planned.
The blind influencer Molly Burke presents the tactile spatial plan of a public toilet in an Instagram video.screenshot: instagram
SBB is one of the largest public toilet operators in Switzerland. According to spokeswoman Sabrina Schellenberg, there are over 3,400 toilets on the trains alone. There are also around 340 publicly accessible toilet facilities at train stations and stops.
Schellenberg points out that the relief lettering is only required for gender-segregated toilets in order to avoid confusion. However, at train stations there are usually toilets for everyone.
SBB finds the idea interesting
In the small, so-called modular toilets, the layout is always the same, says Schellenberg. For example, you can use the lavabo to orientate yourself on the 3 square meters. The toilet bowl is always exactly 55 centimeters away. “Special labels are not necessary here.”
However, the situation is different for larger SBB toilet facilities at train stations. There is a lot of catching up to do here. A few weeks ago, a labeling concept with relief and Braille lettering was approved for them together with a specialist group for the Disability Equality Act. “This will be implemented from the beginning of 2026,” says Schellenberg. And: The possibility of tactile spatial plans will also be discussed. This idea is “interesting”.
Last May, a pilot project with a tactile model of the station was launched at Bern train station. “There are also tactile maps to take with you and a description of the station for people with visual impairments on the website.” This also contains information about the toilet locations.
Authorities often don’t know
According to spokeswoman Lucienne Vaudan, there are 73 publicly accessible toilets in the Federal Palace. At the end of 2024, the signage was adjusted and “found to be good” by associations for the visually and walkingly impaired. What exactly was adjusted, to what extent the SIA standard 500 is adhered to and whether tactile spatial plans are also an issue – the spokeswoman leaves all of this unanswered. Only: “The accessibility of the parliament building is continually discussed and adjusted if necessary.”
Thomas Maag, spokesman for the building department of the canton of Zurich, cannot say how many of the canton’s approximately 14,000 properties, such as cantonal schools, passport offices or hospitals, have toilet labels that comply with the SIA standard 500. “This is beyond our knowledge.”
However, the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a major concern of the cantonal government. In 2022, the canton therefore launched the Disability Rights Action Plan. “The aim is to ensure obstacle-free access in public buildings, including labels and pictograms with information and guidance functions,” says Maag.
Cantons are retrofitting
According to spokesman Roland Hofer, there are around 450 publicly accessible toilets in schools, museums or castles in the canton of Aargau. “Over 60 of them, almost one in seven, already have tactilely recognizable labels.” And the standard is always implemented in new buildings. And existing buildings are being retrofitted accordingly.
According to spokeswoman Evelyn Jeger, the authorities in the canton of St. Gallen do not know the exact number of public toilets. But for new lettering and new buildings, the SIA standard 500 is used with relief writing or tactile pictograms.
According to spokesman Dominik Lehmann, this is already a fact with the over 460 toilets at the six locations of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. Tactile spatial plans are currently not being planned.
Teaching institutions want to catch up
At the University of Geneva, however, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Spokeswoman Luana Nasca cannot answer how many of the approximately 200 public sanitary areas meet the SIA standard 500. The adjustment will be made selectively and “according to the needs of the members of the university community”. The integration of smartphone apps is also being examined to make orientation easier for people with disabilities in the university buildings.
According to spokesman Matthias Geering, Braille is only partially used at the University of Basel. The university’s planners are required to “strictly comply” with the SIA standard 500. The university has already proposed tactile plans in the past. However, these were deemed “not effective” by the disability organization Pro Infirmis, says Geering. He points out the possibility for blind university members to have someone they trust show them around the buildings in order to familiarize themselves with the events.
At Pathé, one of the largest cinema chains in Switzerland, according to spokesman Stephan Herzog, the standard is only complied with at the cinemas in Ebikon LU and Spreitenbach AG, both of which were built after 2009 – i.e. after the standard came into force.
If she came to Switzerland, influencer Molly Burke probably wouldn’t upload an overly euphoric social media video.