Why does one mum wetting herself at a railway station raise huge news and social media interest, yet hundreds of thousands of disabled people in that same situation every day does not even raise an eyebrow?
Why is it less newsworthy if a disabled person who cannot stand or walk soils themselves than when an able-bodied person does?
Why is it not newsworthy when an incontinent person has nowhere suitable to change a pad?
Why is my fellow campaigner Zach Kerr not making headlines with his experiences, as a disabled adult, of having to be lifted to the floor to have pads changed?
Check him out and sign his petition here.
Why did my friend have to change her 7 year old daughter in a public place recently? Her daughter had a horrible experience yet it didn’t make the news?
Why am I awake at 1am crying at the knowledge that my son’s favourite place to visit will not install toilets which would enable him to go there with dignity?
The mum in the story was quoted as saying “It was really humiliating. How many other mums have been in my situation?”
If only she knew how much bigger it was! Hundreds of thousands of disabled people are in this situation every day, taking that risk almost everywhere they go, yet none of them make the news.
Help raise the profile of people who need Changing Places toilets by sharing the stories of those who need them.
Don’t they deserve to go out without risking humiliation too?
Ordinary Hopes 
So true. There seems to be a huge issue with trying to cover up what is actually happening every day and it must be very distressing for so many 😦
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Very well said. Thank you!
Things like this are a worry for some of us ever single day.
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It really shouldn’t be something that people have to worry about. Every person matters.x
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Absolutely!
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So true when you say the media don’t pick up on something that is happening every day to so many people.
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We visited a National Trust property yesterday, solely because they had a Mobiloo on site for the day.
We would not have risked going without the Mobiloo being there and events yesterday showed me that I am right to not risk it.
Shortly after lunch Adam needed to “go”, so we dashed to the Mobiloo. We made it in time to hoist him to the toilet and go with comfort and ease. He had not been kidding when he said he needed the toilet! We would not have made it home in time and would probably have ended up with a horribly soiled sling and wheelchair seat too.
Yet, had he ended up covered in his own waste it would not have made the news.
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I know. So unfair.
I don’t know if you’ve seen it but Nathan realised the toilet at the university / public library was a changing places one so I’ve posted a photo on twitter of him in it! He uses a urine bottle so hadn’t really thought about it until we were talking about them the other day.
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I think I saw that. Been a long day with a lot of travelling to attend an out of county hospital appointment today. My bed beckons!
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Sleep tight x
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I don’t understand it either. Why is not picked up more, it so should be! #accesslinky
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The only reason I can think of is because those in the media and in politics don’t think people who need hoisting or who use pads are worth any more than to sit in their own waste.
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Well said – it should be just as much of an issue for people who are disabled – everyone has the right to dignity and privacy when they need to go. #AccessLinky
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I’m in a group for wheelchair users on facebook and a few members have said the lack of PROPERLY accessible toilets (inc hoist) has led them to explore the option of a suprapubic cathether! Thats a SURGICAL PROCEDURE and permanent decision, just because there are no facilities for them. It’s awful.
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That is just awful. Nobody should undergo such things unless there is a medical need. There is a risk of complications with any surgery.
Really awful.
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I really don’t understand the lack of interest in accessibility in general. It just makes no sense when we are all living longer and almost all of us who live until old age will need some accessibility features! Thank you for sharing on #AccessLinky
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