I found this post about an app for disabled toilets and I know how much Changing Places is needed by some individuals. What a great idea for an app!
My friend, Sophie needs access to Changing Places and there are so very few of them. Yes, many places now have two types of disabled toilets.
Standard Toilets and Radar Key toilets. But it’s not enough.
What are Standard and Radar Key Toilets?
They are rooms big enough to get a wheelchair in, sometimes only a wheelchair and a carer with little leeway. In terms of size and equipment there isn’t much difference except how they’re monitored.
Standard Toilets
These toilets are not locked. They’re able to be opened by anyone and they often look grotty and unclean. I think because certain places don’t expect them to be used.
They’re often assumed not necessary by many small businesses or restaurants that they’re not just a toilet.
I once went to a restaurant with one standard disabled toilet and no alternative. But it was clear that I was probably the first person in a long time that asked to use the disabled toilet. Why?
There were bin bags in the toilet. Literally bin bags spawned across the floor, piling up on each other. A step ladder was against a wall, and broken signs were in the way too.
Just not good enough.
Other times, it is clear that people abuse these toilets as there is not usually a queue. But they leave toilet role on the floor. Tread into it. They flood the place with what I hope is only water.
Not to mention, it often smells of dirty nappies, and not from disabled people. A huge percentage of toilets are shared with parents of babies and infants.
So Standard Toilets are often not pleasant, which is why the Radar Scheme came about.
Radar Key Scheme
The Radar Key Scheme requires a key to access certain toilets. Basically a skeleton key service. You can get the key online, so technically people could still abuse these spaces but who is realistically going to order a key for the sake of skipping queues?
That’s the beauty of the Radar Key system. But there is still a problem. The toilet is still small to manoeuvre around if you are in a wheelchair and also, if you can’t self-transfer, it is extremely difficult to use.
Changing Places
The Changing Places Toilets campaign started in July 2006. In 2016, only 860 of theses toilets had been built around the UK. 860… That’s probably only the equivalent to two cites.
Now, there is just over 1000 toilets, still not that many for the end of 2019. Hopefully, these toilets become more frequent in the future.
Unlike the other two disabled toilets, these have an adult-sized changing bench for disabled people who wear incontinence pads and a heist for those that need to be lifted onto the toilet.
There is also room for both the carers and the disabled person to move around.
It is something so simple yet there is a lack of these much needed toilets.
Changing Places App
However, there is also an app that allows disabled individuals to rate their experience of these toilets.
Have people messed it up? Are they clean? Has the emergency cord been hidden away? Or is it a decent toilet?
You can read more about this app by looking at the blog I found 🙂
Announcing the app paving the way for Changing Places users experiences with the aid of modern technology, thanks to the Derby company passionate about dignity and equality.
Revolutionary New App for Changing Places Users! — Life Of An Ambitious Turtle
UPDATE NOTE 2024: This app no longer exists but there is an alternative here. Unfortunately, there are no reviews available. There are bloggers that do review them though, such as my friend, Sophie.