Today is Changing Places Toilet Awareness Day – an annual event to raise awareness of Changing Places Toilets which offer enhanced facilities for people with profound disabilities.
Those of you who read my days out posts will note that I usually include the availability of a Changing Places toilet in the accessibility section. Whilst I have had issues with my arms in recent months, I’ve been fortunate that I don’t need the extra support that a Changing Places toilet offers. However, I have friends and colleagues for whom such toilets are vitally important.
What makes a Changing Places toilet?
Changing Places toilets are a step up from what I suppose you could call a ‘standard’ disabled toilet. They’re usually larger, to accommodate a wheelchair and two carers, and include an adult-sized changing table and a hoist. They allow adults who are unable to get themselves out of a wheelchair themselves to use a toilet, and allow carers to change incontinence pads on a clean, flat surface.
It’s estimated that 250,000 people in the UK would benefit from the enhanced facilities that a Changing Places toilet offers. Without them, it’s very difficult for these people to attend school, college or university, work, or just have a nice day out.
How many Changing Places toilets are there?
The number of Changing Places toilets has grown quite quickly in recent years, and there are now over 2500 registered on this map. Where I live in Sowerby Bridge, there are two, with a further two in Halifax. There are four in Bradford city centre, and my workplace has one. Most big shopping centres now have them, as do many larger museums.
Registration is voluntary, and so there may be places that have such facilities that are not on the national map. It’s also worth noting that the map includes some toilets which don’t meet current standards – they may not offer the full range of enhanced facilities, but still offer more than a standard disabled toilet. You can follow the links to each venue’s page to find out exactly what’s available at each toilet, and there are usually photos as well.
Changing Places toilets are an important part of enabling disabled people to live their lives outside their homes, and be able to go to the toilet with the same dignity as able-bodied people. They allow disabled people to be more included and achieve equal access to opportunities. I think they’re really important, and whilst not every single public space needs to have one, having them available will make life so much easier for disabled people. I’m therefore happy to champion those places that provide them.
There is one such toilet in the Transport museum in Glasgow.
One side benefit is having to explain to my 4 year old why there’s a “bed” in the toilet. Never too early to learn these things I think, hopefully we can normalise it as much as possible too.