Installing an accessible toilet
LEAD: Phil Downs MBE
Phil is an accessibility consultant, based in Manchester. Following a life-changing injury in his youth, he is now recognised as an expert in equality legislation. A member of the BSI, his work includes advising on improving disabled access to football stadiums.
St James and Emmanuel church is embracing attitudinal changes in a variety of issues, but addressing the needs in some people’s lives demands a more structural change in order to encourage people to leave their homes and feel part of the community.
More than 250,000 people* need specially designed accessible public toilets to enable them to get out and about and enjoy day-to-day activities. The installation of a Changing Places facility in Emmanuel church will let people with multiple and complex disabilities access Didsbury village with the kind of dignity most take for granted.
Image courtesy of Changing Places
What we have learned
With increasing provision of disabled parking and dropped kerb pavements, it may be tempting to believe that disabled people are increasingly well-catered for in built up environments. Unfortunately, the reality is different and facilities like Changing Places toilets are still the exception, not the norm. Although the announcement that installing Changing Places toilets will be mandatory in new public buildings from 2021, this still leaves the vast majority of existing public buildings with little or no provision.
Without societal change, disabled people will face the same obstacles time and time again and it is hoped that, with this new facility, more people will have a better understanding of what it provides, why it is needed and who it serves.
Incorporating the installation within Future Didsbury, a project looking to improve access in the centre of the village, has enabled the provision of the toilet to be integrated into a wider ambition for the community, rather than be an isolated initiative. The in-depth thinking that has come with this inclusion has added to the value given by a basic Changing Places facility and it is hoped it will allow people from outside the area to visit the village, enjoy themselves and come back again.
What we plan to do
Changing Places facilities are considered the ultimate in provision for people with severe motor disabilities and the design process for the installation in Emmanuel has ensured the space is dynamic, allowing the fluidity of movement that enables ease of use.
Image courtesy of Changing Places
Such facilities are expensive, but they are also vital if inclusion is to be taken seriously. It is hoped that grant funding of around £42,000 will be secured in 2020, enabling the installation to be part of the planned wider improvements to Emmanuel.
Crucially, St James & Emmanuel do not see this as simply a church project. Part of the church space accommodates Home Community Café during the week and provision of the new Changing Places toilet will open up the whole village to people with complex needs. The church is more than happy for people to use the facilities whether or not they are visiting us or shopping, eating or drinking somewhere else in the village. During church and café opening hours, access will be through the main entrance, but a new entrance located opposite the nearby Parish Hall will give 24/7 access and will be controlled by a monitoring station.
The new toilet will be a valuable addition to the Changing Places map of where these facilities can be found. It is quite likely some people with disabilities will take their first trip to Didsbury once they hear this facility is available.
*changing-places.org
Frequently asked questions
What is a Changing Places facility?
A Changing Places Facility is a very large, accessible toilet fitted with the type of specialist equipment that people may have at home to cater with the needs of individuals with multiple/complex disabilities (a super-loo). Until fairly recently, Changing Places didn’t exist which meant that some parents had to manage with their children on the floor of existing accessible toilets if they were ever to contemplate leaving the house as a family. That situation was untenable and there is now a British Standard covering this type of facility and I am proud to be able to say that Rev. Nick Bundock pioneered this project.
Why is a hoist needed?
People with complex disabilities generally need hoisting for the purposes of transferring onto a changing table, etc. A Changing Places Facility has to have a ceiling track hoist to make the space work in this particular way.
What is a ‘changing table’?
In a Changing Places Facility a changing table of adult size is provided. In some facilities, the changing table can be electrically height adjusted although free-standing tables are frequently used to cater for two carers/assistants who need to be on opposite sides of the table itself.
What else is provided in a Changing Places facility?
In addition to the hoist and changing table, there is a standard accessible toilet with the usual grab rails and there is a wash basin which can either be height adjustable or fixed. In this case we have opted for a fixed height with an ‘elbow tap’ with the intention of adding a counter-top to the basin where people using the facility can stash the large amount of kit they have to carry around for those with complex needs. A Changing Places facility should have a privacy curtain.
Who can use it and when?
The charity, Changing Places, developed the concept because they wanted to provide an opportunity for those families with children/adults with complex disabilities to be out and about like anyone else. Without a significant upgrading of the standard accessible toilet, the above was never going to be possible hence the design criteria was created and adopted by the British Standards Institute. Although the equipment is vitally important, opening hours are as well. In the case of Emmanuel Church, the Changing Places facility can be accessed during the day Mon-Friday through Home Café and a new door is being created at the back of the church which will be monitored 24/7 to control access and respond to emergencies. As far as we know, there aren’t many Changing Places Facilities with 24/7 access available so this is an added bonus for Didsbury and the families that want to make use of it.