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Continence is a biological capacity shaped by development and health, but the demand that everyone organise life around toilets is a social expectation. The capacity and the obligation are not the same thing. Key points Voluntary bladder and bowel control can be useful. The surrounding system is unmistakably social: particular rooms, privacy rules, permission to leave, school timetables,…

Humans being born incontinent matters because it shows that voluntary continence is acquired, not the default form of human existence. The original condition of every person is not a defect; it becomes labelled temporary only because society has already decided what must replace it. Key points Biology gives the infant elimination, sensation and gradual neurological development. Acquiring a…

Independent news publication Mill.org.uk has been admitted to the Information Economy Alliance and may now display the Alliance’s accredited member badge. The Information Economy Alliance, an initiative operated by SCRIBE, has confirmed Mill.org.uk as an accredited member of its network of independent news services. The Alliance was created to support serious independent publications operating…

Yes. Non-toilet use is a normal human possibility, even though it is not the dominant social convention. Every person begins life without voluntary continence, and many children, disabled people, older people and adults using protection already live partly or wholly outside exclusive toilet use. Key points Normal can mean common, biologically possible, socially accepted or healthy. The stigma…

Toilet use means managing urination or defecation through a toilet. Non-toilet use means intentionally managing it without relying exclusively on a toilet, usually through nappies or other absorbent protection. Both are body-management systems. Key points The distinction is about method, not worth. Non-toilet use can be occasional, mixed or full-time. An intended use of an absorbent product is…

Autistic children may resist toilets because the demand combines sensory discomfort, uncertain body signals, interruption, communication demands and loss of control. What looks like defiance is often a rational response to an environment or routine that feels painful, confusing or unsafe. Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people are often asked to adapt to the toilet rather than having the…

A New Framework for Independent Publishing, Shared Access and Public-Interest Information Foundational Paper Abstract The Information Economy Alliance is a new initiative created to strengthen independent publications and news services operating outside the largest mainstream media institutions. It is administered by SCRIBE, the Social Centre for Research for Inclusive, Better and Equal…

Schools helped turn toilet independence from a family practice into a public deadline. Once children were gathered into age-graded classrooms, bodily routines had to fit timetables, staffing and institutional ideas of readiness. Toilet expectations did not arise from biology alone. They hardened as mass schooling made it useful for large groups of children to follow the same routines with minimal…