Table-ing The Options On Compliance

pending just a few £ more on a refurbishment could bring £000s in additional profit, and increase traffic to an outlet or venue.

So claim a group of campaigners, who are petitioning retail SMEs, architects and designers to adopt an inclusive approach- without needing to allocate any additional floor space.

The Space to Change campaign has been developed to extend the useability of many existing wheelchair-accessible toilets, and meet the needs of potentially millions of people¹ who need help with their personal hygiene. Space to Change simply needs existing wheelchair-accessible toilets to also include an adult-sized changing bench, and a hoist. The campaign is hosted by online special needs parenting resource www.fireflyfriends.co.uk, and supported by Clos-o-Mat.

“You wouldn’t change a baby on a toilet floor when away from home, but when your loved one is no longer a baby, that is what you are faced with if they have special needs with their personal hygiene,” explains firefly community manager Claire Smyth. “I’ve lost count of the times we’ve had to abandon a day out because my son Daniel needed to be changed. There have been many occasions when a dirty public toilet floor was my only option. Yet our custom could have been kept, and our money earned, if suitable facilities had been in place.

“Under current Building Regulations, many buildings should already have the space for an adult changing table: all we need is that they fit the table, and a hoist- which doesn’t need any extra space- to help us safely manoeuvre.”

Building Regulations Approved Document M 2013 requires buildings to have accessible toilet facilities; if space is an issue, then the one toilet that should be provided is a wheelchair-accessible one. Further, in large complexes, that facility should be large enough in the first place to incorporate an adult changing bench.

Full details of the Space To Change concept, plus technical support, CAD blocks etc, can be found at www.clos-o-mat.com and http://community.fireflyfriends.com/campaigns/space-to-change.