Is equality worth the cost?

Disabled people are not new.

They have not just appeared suddenly.

They have been there all along.

You just might not have seen them.

We stopped visiting most local attractions a couple of years ago when stopped being able manage our son’s toilet needs in back of our car. Now, all that stands in the way of our boy and a great day out is a toilet with a hoist and bench.

Yes, fully accessible toilet facilities with a ceiling hoist and a changing bench cost money.

As did the regular toilets already installed so willingly by service providers.

Installed without question.

We all agree that a restaurant, theatre, leisure centre, cinema or theme park etc. absolutely must provide toilets.

They also have to provide toilet facilities for disabled people. The law is clear.

Yet for too long,  toilet facilities which don’t meet the needs of disabled people have been installed and then under-used. Hundreds of thousands of disabled people just can’t use them unless there is a ceiling hoist and changing bench. There are also a huge number of wheelchair users who could transfer by themselves if the room was larger. Small disabling toilets are useless to them too.

Does equal access matter?

After all, it probably doesn’t affect you.

YET.

“The disabled”. The largest minority group of which any one of us can become a member of at any time.

It isn’t a club that many would wish to join. There isn’t a willing queue.

Yet, once you are in, you are generally in for the long haul.

So, imagine for one moment that you are in the queue…

Do you want to use a toilet too?

 

Example of a smaller Changing Places Toilet, at Cornwall Services

 

Click HERE to view a brochure detailing a Changing Places toilet facility.

 

The cost of not including these facilities is that people are excluded from accessing your entire business.

If disabled people “cannot spend a penny” they are not going to come to spend their pounds.

The human cost is even greater.

How many times can a person be excluded before they stop trying to go out? Would you go out for a meal if there were no toilets? Would you have a drink whilst at the cinema?

How would you feel about yourself if you had to leave mid film?

How would you feel about yourself if you didn’t make it home in time?

This little boy is just 10 years old. He is often too scared to go out in case he needs the toilet and in case he can’t make it home.

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Please support the Changing Places Toilet campaign.

For Adam.

For hundreds of thousands of others.

And maybe for you.

None of us is immune to disability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Ordinary Hopes

Cape-less Crusader, changing the world one toilet at a time.

17 thoughts on “Is equality worth the cost?”

  1. Such a strong post and something so important. I didn’t even realise that the disabled facilities provided weren’t good enough because they didn’t have everything needed to help. That’s the problem though really isn’t it? If you’re not aware you just don’t think. Things like this really do need more awareness. #DreamTeam

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    1. I always say that there is nothing wrong with not knowing something but that once you know better you should do better.

      For too long families have quietly struggled or just stayed away. Not any more!

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  2. It is important to highlight these issues. If they don’t directly affect you, you wouldn’t be aware. However, businesses need to be aware and consider change. I hope that in the future disabled peoples’ needs are more widely recognised. Alison x #DreamTeam

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  3. “Disabled people are not new. They have not just appeared suddenly.” Exactly! I think people think they all just arrived at Gatwick on a Virgin flight from Disabled-land. Drives me nuts! Anyway, another great blog, am quoting you in a HuffPost blog, hope thats ok! 🙂

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    1. Of course it is okay.

      You did make me laugh there! Disabled-land! I hope it was a short flight as toilets on a plane are impossible for us!

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  4. Really important issue to highlight. As someone who doesn’t know much about this topic (yet) I would not have considered what a disabled toilet needs to have in order to make it user-friendly, but I like to think that if I was running a business where I needed to provide one, I would make sure I made myself aware. This was an interesting and enlightening post to read. #KCACOLS

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    1. Thank you.

      A friend recently told me that she now checks out the disabled toilets everywhere she goes and is realising how much a lack of accessible toilets limits life for so many.

      It is good to know that people understands and care.x

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  6. Such an eye opening post. I know that disabled toilets are a big problem, only because on a number of occasions whilst out, I have had to use them to change (a then) baby button. If I found it difficult to change her, with a small pram in tow, how on earth could they be used by someone who who needs the extra space. It makes me so cross! Thank you for linking up to the #DreamTeam

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  9. It’s true that unless you need something you tend not to think about it and how it affects others. Awareness is so important but it’s also important that businesses are made accountable and there should be regulations that these facilities are included in public places. No one should be excluded. #KCACOLS

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  10. Looking at the design you suggest here, it does seem that this would be suitable for people with a range of different needs, and could also be helpful for parents of small children too. Those small fold-down changing tables aren’t suitable for anyone other than a tiny infant – I’d never dream of putting a toddler in one. A little awareness and lateral thinking could help many people, it seems. Well done for increasing awareness. I hope it works for you #KCACOLS

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  11. Another powerful post that makes it so clear why these facilities are needed. You are doing a wonderful job raising awareness. Thanks so much for linking with #KCACOLS. We hope you come back again next week.

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