Dundee mum Nicola Donnelly loves seeing her son happy enjoying days out. But finding a toilet suitable for Leo’s needs is a challenge.
Nicola has often faced the awful options of either lying Leo, 5, on a toilet floor or struggling to lift him on to a high changing unit designed for babies.
Leo has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Yet Nicola says “almost everywhere we go is unsuitable, with some notable exceptions”.
As a survey for World Toilet Day reveals items from surf boards to a fruit machine among clutter found in disabled toilets, Nicola says it’s time supermarkets and other businesses help rather than making “token gestures” for disabled people.
And she reveals the venues in Dundee getting it right with accessible toilets.
“Leo is too heavy and too long to safely use baby changing tables. But we have to use them anyway at times,” Nicola explains.
“The only alternative to doing that is changing him on the floor, which means lying him down on the floor of a disabled toilet or baby change room.
“That’s the case for many of his friends. They wear pads and some do so because it is so difficult to access toilets.
Dirty toilet floor
“What we need is a Changing Place rather than a disabled toilet. There’s more space so you can turn, there’s a hoist and changing plinth which goes up and down.”
Nicola says the location of toilets influences her planning of activities for Leo.
“It’s about safe lifting,” she explains. “So going somewhere not equipped puts us at risk of injury and it’s not very dignified for him.
“We often opt to change him in our car boot rather than use a dirty toilet floor.”
Nicola continues: “There’s still a lot of taboo about someone needing changed, despite the fact that so many of us will become carers.
“As a society we need to be a lot more open about it. But we have to stop being so tokenistic.
“For example, Children In Need is this weekend, so for one day everyone thinks about disabled children and feels good about making a donation.
‘Businesses need to do more’
“Actually what’s needed is to think about their rights all year round.
“Supermarkets are selling Pudsey merchandise with a percentage going to charity.
“But those same supermarkets don’t have Changing Places. There’s no reason, with all their resources and space, not to have them.
“Put away token gestures and actually make changes! Enable our young people to live the same lives as others.”
According to a survey by Euan’s Guide, 70% have come across accessible toilets they were unable to use.
Many find toilets being used for ‘overflow’ storage with these items all listed as things found: Surf boards; road closed sign; mini electric organ; half-eaten roast chicken; fruit machine; lawn mower; tins of tomatoes.
Praise for Dundee Rep
Nicola continues: “Leo enjoys going to drama class at Dundee Rep.
“They recently put in a Changing Place, investing their own money as well as getting funding.
“They didn’t just do it, they did a brilliant job, it’s on a par with all the other beautifully-designed spaces in the Rep.
“He goes to The Brae and The Yard, where there are good facilities. But that doesn’t help children access the wider community.
“I understand it’s a tricky time for businesses but there are workarounds to providing accessible toilets – like Pamiloo a mobile Changing Place. The Botanic Gardens held a play event where they used one.
“If you’re fully committed to inclusion there is always a solution.”
- Euan’s Guide is asking venues to check their accessible toilets using the charity’s top tips. You can leave reviews of accessible loos to help others, too – just one review can give someone the confidence to try somewhere new.
Conversation