If you’re an able-bodied person, it can be hard to put yourself in the shoes of those less fortunate. Alan Davies asks us to consider the difficulties that others experience. Ed
Sometimes you just need to change one thing to open up a world of possibility.
Standard accessible toilets meet the needs of some disabled people, but not all.
Thousands of people and their carers and being excluded from things that others take for granted – like a simple shopping trip.
They need Changing Places toilets – with a changing bench, hoist and plenty of space.
You can support the Isle of Wight based campaign by completing/returning the petition on page 4 of the Isle of Wight LINk Newsletter (PDF) using the FREEPOST address given.
To find out more visit the Changing Places Website
David’s Story
David has profound and multiple learning disabilities. He requires total care due to quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He has epilepsy, severe scoliosis, dystonia, and digestive problems that require him to be fed by gastrostomy.
David requires total care and support for all his day-to-day needs, and requires support to enable him to participate in any meaningful activity.
David uses a special moulded wheelchair – that is larger than many regular wheelchairs – to get around. He is doubly incontinent and therefore needs pads to meet his continence needs.
Busy lifestyle
David enjoys a very good quality of life. He attends a day centre in from Tuesday to Friday, and goes to College every Monday. He enjoys a variety of activities including using the spa pool, sensory cooking, drama and computing.
He loves visits to the cinema, ten pin bowling and animal parks. Like any teenager, he loves to go shopping for clothes, DVDs and music. David is an outdoor person, and loves going out and about for the day in his adapted minibus.
Lack of public facilities
David needs to use a Changing Places toilet when he is away from home. He requires a height adjustable changing bench so his carer can change his pad, and a hoist so he can be helped to transfer safely from his wheelchair to the changing bench.
But the lack of Changing Places toilets in public places means that David’s life is restricted.
When he is taken out from his day centre he cannot be changed as paid carers are not allowed to lift people without the use of a hoist. As a consequence, his activities have to fit around when his continence pad needs changing, restricting his choice of activities.
Undignified situations
When David and his family go out and about, they are forced to attempt to change David in facilities which do not meet their needs. This is dangerous, undignified and can be distressing.
David’s mum Liz told me “On a recent trip to visit relatives, my husband and I tried to change David in a service station’s disabled toilet. The cubicle was so small we had to leave the wheelchair outside while we manoeuvred David out from his chair and onto the floor. There was no room for us to kneel down with David, so we had to bend over him to change him, which was extremely strenuous.”
“The worse was to follow, as we found there was no room for both of us to safely get hold of David to lift him back into his wheelchair. So I had to lift him up from the ground myself and manoeuvre him into his chair outside the cubicle. I was nearly in tears, as I was so anxious not to drop him, or fall with him, in such an awkward position. We have never used a similar facility again.”
“Due to the lack of suitable Changing Places toilets, David and his family have tried to find their own solution – but this is far from ideal.”
“At weekends or during the holidays, we take David out in his minibus which has darkened windows so he can be changed inside. David is now a fully-grown man, taller than me, and it is extremely difficult to change him in this way. I have to manually lift David out of his wheelchair and then kneel with him in my arms as I manoeuvre him through the door onto the floor of the van – it is absolutely back breaking!”
Changing Places Vital
The provision of Changing Places toilets in public places would open up a whole new world of possibility to David and his family, as well as having a major positive impact on their health.
“If Changing Places toilets were provided in public places it would make a huge difference to both David’s life and my life. David’s basic human rights and dignity would not be compromised – that in itself would make a difference to my life! My health would certainly improve, with a reduction in the amount of manual lifting I have to do.”
“David’s choices and opportunities within the community would open up – how I would love to take David to the theatre, shows, and exhibitions! Visits that I can only rarely make with David now.”
“David could also take part in activities with support from his carers, which only I will take part in at the moment due to the health risks associated with changing David. He could enjoy trips or activities with other friends he has made through his day centre or college. How normal is that for any 19 year-old young man!”
