The story goes that a genteel woman planned to visit a park on a camping trip, but she wanted to know if the park had real bathrooms and not just chemical toilets. She wrote the local town council, but being too embarrassed to use the actual words, she inquired if the park had a B.C. -- for "bathroom commode."

The town council pondered what she meant, then one fellow said she must be referring to a Baptist Church, and offered to answer her letter. Imagine her surprise to be informed that the park didn't have a B.C. of its own, but there was one a few miles away.

The writer informed the lady that he and his wife used to go to the B.C. twice a week, but were getting older and couldn't go regularly anymore. In the winter, he said, they didn't go for months at a time. In the spring, though, a hundred or more townspeople would show up at the B.C. every Sunday at 10 a.m. and enjoy a fine time, with lots of singing and fellowship. Afterwards many of them would stay for a potluck lunch under the trees near the B.C.

As silly as that story is, many people are like that genteel lady. They think the bathroom isn't a topic to be openly discussed. But for those with physical disabilities -- and their caregivers -- the bathroom is of vital importance. It's where elbows, knees and heads get banged. Where water is sloshed, things are dropped and privacy is lost.

The bathroom can become a place of utter frustration. No wonder Camilo and Mona Díaz of Houston knocked their bathroom door off its hinges, shoved the commode at a 90-degree angle, tore out the sink, slammed a huge hole in one wall and ripped out the bathtub.

No, they weren't angry -- they just wanted to turn the bathroom into a place where their son, Tomás, could maneuver his wheelchair. Tomás, 10, was MDA's National Goodwill Ambassador three years ago. He used a walker, but it wouldn't fit through the bathroom door, so he would take the few steps to the commode. Later, he'd walk on his knees into the bathroom.

As his mother, Mona, puts it, "Now he's become a big, husky guy -- 5 feet tall and 140 pounds -- so helping him around in our long, narrow bathroom and lifting him out of the tub was just getting to be too much for us."

The solution was to close off the old entrance and come through a linen closet with a new, wider entrance. By rotating the toilet, getting a new sink and replacing the tub with a nice, large, roll-in shower stall, Tomás' wheelchair can be maneuvered easily in the room. Mona found a sink with the drain at the back, and with the drain pipes turned parallel to the wall.

"That makes it perfect for Tomás to wheel his chair under so he can brush his teeth and things like that," she says.

The Díazes will be looking for equipment and accessories that will make Tomás' bathroom even more accessible.

"There are a lot of things out there, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to look," she says. "I belong to an MDA support group and we share information about useful things we come across. That really makes a difference."

Solving the problems bathrooms pose for people with disabilities has become something that companies and individuals have taken to with a passion, and the result is a multitude of new useful and creative machines and gadgets.

Kristen Huelke, who has cerebral palsy, was born in 1983. As she grew, so did the problem of getting her in and out of the bathtub.

Her parents, Dave and Becky, are both engineers, so they went to work on the problem. Dave designed a lightweight, fold-up bath transfer device and Becky helped with fine-tuning and marketing. Kristen? She became the chief test pilot. The result is the Easy Does It Bath Transfer System, which has spawned a company called Clever Solutions. Kristen, now 15, has just come up with her own invention -- a device that lets a person swing a pack or briefcase from the back of a wheelchair around to the side for easy access.

"A lot of disabled people and their caregivers are very creative and see some real needs and potential," Dave Huelke says. "The trouble is, it's so hard to find the resources and drive to bring it to market. We decided to make sure we could get our chair to market."

An alternative would have been to sell the invention to a large manufacturing company, but Huelke says sometimes that route leads to the device not being developed and refined fully.

"The energy, the passion -- that's what's important," he says.

Richard J. Dagostino was 17 when a diving accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Frustrated at not being able to go on vacation because his shower chair was too bulky and heavy, he designed the Tub Slide Shower Chair and now markets it through R.D. Equipment Inc.

Dagostino also is dedicated to keeping control of his inventions.

"The ones who design the best are the ones doing it because of their own needs or those of a loved one," he explains. "They know what is needed and won't compromise on that."

As manager of rehabilitation at University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., and a long-time MDA associate, physical therapist Carol Stumpf sees new equipment as providing physical and psychological assistance.

"Raised toilet seats, armrests and hand-held showers help the person use better body mechanics," she says. "And the devices also help the person maintain his or her independence longer. It impacts their self-image dramatically."

OPTIONS EXPAND IN BATHROOM ACCESSORIES

It's a common scenario: You encounter a need for a particular bathroom accessory or piece of equipment. You think that surely some manufacturer has come up with a solution. But how do you find it?

Exchanging ideas and sharing information are two of the strong suits of an MDA support group. In addition to the emotional support and empathy these groups provide, the pooling of information and solutions to common problems can make caregiving and coping with a disease much easier.

The following is a list of some companies and products that deal with bathroom issues.

ADVent International Inc. has developed the Cair-Flo Direct-Thru Toilet Exhaust System, which pulls odors and germ-laden air from within toilet bowls through an exhaust system that's automatically activated by an infrared sensor. The virtually silent fan removes 97 percent of the odor and air-borne microorganisms. (888) 55ADVENT; www.advent-intl.com

Back to Basics Innovative Design has developed the Solid Mount steel-reinforced mounting system for grab bars and safety bars in fiberglass showers and walls. It can be installed in about an hour. (714) 533-3636

Water-powered and battery-powered toilet and bath lifts by Clark Medical Products Inc. can handle up to 300 pounds and can be operated by the flick of a lever. Normal household water pressure is all the nonbattery units need. (800) 889-5295

Clarke Health Care Products Inc. produces the Aquatec bath lift in both water- and battery-powered models. The Aquatec allows adjustable seating and positioning of the user in the bathtub. (724) 695-2122; www.clarke.healthcare.com

The Easy Does It Bath Transfer System is produced by Clever Solutions. It's a 20-pound, portable bath-transfer seat that rotates and allows the user to effortlessly slide into the tub. It's great for traveling. (734) 668-2524

For almost any toilet problem, Columbia Medical Mfg. Corp. has a solution. There's a padded toilet seat reducer ring that allows better positioning of the user and fewer mishaps. It has a built-in splash guard. An attachable Soft-Flex Splash Guard and a variety of toilet support units as well as toilet armrests and footrests are manufactured by Columbia. (800) 454-6612; www.ColumbiaMedical.com

Duralife Inc. produces the DuraTilt shower chair, made of PVC tubing that's reinforced at stress points. The chair, which is on rollers, cradles the user in a reclined position and has an open-front padded toilet seat for comfort. (800) 443-5433; www.duralife-usa.com

Franklin Brass Mfg. Co. offers a tub safety board that's portable and locks into place. It has a built-in soap dish and expands to fit tubs up to 31 inches wide. The firm also makes a tub and shower seat, a multi-grip tub bar, shower safety treads, a clear bath mat with self-adhesive backing, grab bars and a tub transfer bench. (800) 421-3375; www.franklinbrass.com

For use in a wet environment, Gendron Inc. has created an adjustable bath transfer bench with a 650-pound capacity. Outside legs adjust to allow a stable placement even on wet floors, and a solid back rail keeps the user secure. (800) 537-2521

Converting your existing toilet into a bidet is easy with the Hydrogiene Corp. CTX Intimate Water Cleansing System. Personal cleanliness is simple and requires a minimum of wiping. (888) HYDRO99

HMT Enterprises offers a toilet seat riser that attaches easily to the regular seat. The sturdy unit won't shift and it's easy to clean. (614) 885-9172; www.citywideguide.com/hmtent

The Quantum Q100 Bath Chair is a product of Innovative Medical Inc. It's a compact, collapsible chair for travel or everyday use. It weighs about 20 pounds. (913) 642-5106; www.discoverynet.com/~imi

From Invacare Corp. comes a shower chair with a foam-padded back and seat that are covered with soft vinyl. It comes with or without an attached commode. The firm also offers several types of transfer benches. (800) 333-6900; www.invacare.com

The American Society on Aging presented Lubidet USA Inc. with the First Place Award in the 1993 National Product Design Competition for its bidet attachment for existing toilets. The unit has been improved and now offers a 180-degree spray rotation, a larger warm water tank, easier installation and maintenance, and a slimmer design. (800) 582-4338; www.lubidet.com

From hinged, elevated toilet seats to an easy-to-use tube squeezer for toothpaste, ointments and lubricants, Maddak's AbleWare solves lots of bathroom problems. A suction-base denture brush holder, an opener for those pesky blister-pack pills, a snap-and-it's-done toilet paper holder, and a handy inflatable shampoo headrest tray also are available. (973) 628-7600; www.maddak.com

Medway Corp. offers a 4-inch toilet riser that fits under the base of your current commode. The unit doesn't require detailed cleaning as top-mounted risers do, connects to existing plumbing without modifications and is reusable. (800) 817-3118

An innovative unit that attaches to your existing faucet and allows you to operate it by merely stepping on a pedal mounted on the floor has been developed by Pedal Valves. Water flow and temperature are controlled by the handles, which can be left set in the correct positions; then the water can be turned on and off by the foot pedal. (800) 431-3668

R.D. Equipment Inc. has developed the Tub Slide Shower Chair, which eliminates the need for expensive alterations to install a roll-in shower. The chair's seat slides easily along a rail and puts the user in a seated position at the shower end of a standard tub. (508) 362-7498

Shower Aide Inc. offers a full-size swivel chair for transfer into a shower or bathtub. It slides along a stainless steel bench into the tub area, where it can be locked in place. At 38 pounds, it's portable and can hold up to 350 pounds. (800) 680-4187

Shower in privacy with Shower Any-where, a seat inside a draped frame. A tank supplies fresh water, and another removes the used water. The stalls come in transfer-seat or roll-out seat models. The company also produces bathe-in-bed units and a shampoo tray. (800) 992-2055

Smith & Nephew Inc. offers an array of bathroom accessories in addition to a state-of-the-art bath-chair lifting system. The firm also has support rails, an easy-to-reach toilet roll holder, long-handled and easy-to-grip sponges, as well as a dressing hook, leg lifter and shoehorn. (800) 558-8633; www.smith-nephew.com

The Bidet Spa Seat from Syd-sons Inc. mounts to existing toilet bowls and offers a self-cleaning, retractable rear wash nozzle, a feminine front wash nozzle and controls, a water-flow control that delivers 98-degree water, and a warm air dryer with air-flow control. (800) 731-3212