Exactly. I have no qualms using a handicapped stall; you don't need a permit to use it.

'They might've taken a long time' because that's the thing with being disabled, they need the facilities in the disabled toilet to be able to go. The OP could've used any toilet without issues, and if she'd waited someone might've come out a moment or two later. For all we know, the disabled girl was just as desperate as the OP had been. Though I do think the girl over reacted by cursing her.

If you had bothered reading the post, the handicapped toilet was the only one available when the OP got in there.

I had read the post. I took it to mean that the disabled toilet was the only one unoccupied. Maybe it was the only one in use due to maintenence or cleaning. But I took it to mean that there were at least two or three stalls, that happened to have people in them, and because the OP was desperate she took the unoccupied one. Which, if it only happens every once in a while (due to desperation) then it's not too bad, but my point was speaking generally of how the scenario could have played. When the OP went into the disabled stall, someone might have just come out of one of the others, which meant that if the OP had waited a couple of moments both she and the disabled girl could have gone, whereas the disabled girl couldn't have gone to use that one.

You seem to be under the impression that handicapped stalls are specifically reserved for handicapped people and are not to be used unless you are handicapped. Handicapped stalls are not like parking spots, where you need a permit to use them, etc. If the only stall that is available is the handicapped one, I am well within my rights to use it and I do not have to wait to see if a handicapped person shows up and wants to use it. Being handicapped does not entitle you to jump lines. You wait, just like everyone else. If you have an issue which requires immediate use of the stall, then ask the people in front of you if they wouldn't mind waiting for a regular stall to become available. It sucks that there is usually only one handicapped stall in washrooms, but look at it this way: if it were a single-toilet washroom, would you expect somebody to wait to see if you show up, wanting to use the washroom? No, probably not, but the exact same same logic applies.

Well, maybe it's because I'm used to seeing the symbol on the stalls, and therefore have assosiated it with the same kind of meaning as the male/female signs on the other doors. But, and as I've stated in post #235, I do think that anyone who is disabled has priority for that cubicle. A single toilet washroom is a different issue, as that means that it's for everyone's use, and not marked for anyone specifically. In the same way, if there's only two (one of which is disabled) I can understand people treating them equally. It's when you get more normal cubicles than that, as it means that the odds are that a 'normal' person would have to wait less long (they've got three or more available toilets) than a disabled person as they can only use the one.