Disabled nappy changes

@x2boys A lot of parents and carers I know drive their adult child's adapted van. Plenty of space in those.

This is something that Rishi Sunak seems to genuinely care about - he talked about it a lot before he was even a minister, and is part of the reason that there are the (low!) number of changing places that we have today.

I’m very, very much not a Tory and most of what he’s done is crap. But he’s on the right side here.

Not a reason for me to vote for him, but I really hope that he’ll use what time he has left to do more here.

@TigerRag adult teenagers, 18+, severely disabled with double incontinence ranging from able to stand to no mobility at all, yes.

How does he fare if you sit him on the toilet whilst taking his nappy on and off? I find it's easier as I don't have to deal with tiny changing tables or risk touching the floor with their socks.

That's the other issue that @Sprinkles211 has highlighted. Quite a few shopping centers have lumped changing benches in with the baby change rather than a proper changing places. So they have a baby change room with 6 or 7 stations plus a changing bench at one side of the room. It's effectively a communal baby change, the bench isn't screened off, it's next to the other baby changing stations. Not so much of a problem for someone under the age of 3, but is humiliating for an older child, teenager or adult who needs to use the changing bench. Our local shopping centre also has a much larger toilet with all the handles (no hoist though), but it's lumped in with the baby change room so used almost exclusively by mum's with prams rather than as a separate facility.

Yes, my 7YO is still in nappies. Access to being able to change him is one of the most complicated parts of any day out planning. About to hit a new issue as he reaches an age where he really shouldn't be in the women's with me any longer! Once they hit 4/5 anyone who thinks keeping them in nappies is the lazy option has clearly never had to manage it

It isn’t possible for all, but it is sometimes possible to change teens in the car. We do when it is the best option. It isn’t easy and isn’t the most dignified, but when the only other alternative is the men’s toilets or women’s toilets or not changing at all it is the best option available. We have a large car and put the seats down.

Alot of shopping centres have started putting a changing bench in like a double one but they put them in the baby change then don't have a lock on the door which when you have a child age 3+ I think allowing them privacy when being changed is important. I've had people huffing and puffing at me because my partner stopped someone coming in whilst I changed my daughter even after he had explained why I was looked at like shit on her shoe when we came out.

It is an issue and is life limiting for those who need changing places facilities.

Before DC I worked for a city museum with a changing places. In the city, there was us, the football ground and the large leisure centre with changing places. That was all, the football ground was on the edge of the city, the leisure centre was at the other side, we were in the middle. The amount of visitors we got who required changing places was surprising to anyone not familiar with the issue. Our museum was visited by people needing changing facilities purely because of it having a changing places. I was lucky enough to chat to some people who needed changing places and one of my projects was to increase inclusion and how to make our museum more accessible for visitors.

Changing places are much more inclusive of disabilities than disabled toilets. Disabled toilets generally do not have hoists, changing benches, adequate space for someone to transfer safely from a chair or mobility aid, adequate space to have help from 1 or more carers. Some only have small sanitary bins designed for period sanitary items rather than continence items. There are many people who require changing places for a variety of reasons.

Unfortunately changing places are expensive to install and require quite a large footprint. Many councils are cash strapped now. The square footage required makes it difficult to convert existing toilet facilities to changing places. Equipment is expensive and in some very sad cases is open to abuse, misuse and purposeful damage by some in society.

As a parent of a high centile toddler, we were always struggling with the weight limits and my DD is very tall so didn't fit on the baby changing tables long. We ended up using mats on floors (grim), changing on knees, stand up changes, car boot changes, pushchair laid back changes.

How would yoy change a teenager or an adult in a car?my Disabled teen is out of nappies now fortunately ,but many of his contemporaries in his special school are still in nappies/Pull ups ,some children /adults will never get out of continence products .

I change my Autistic DD standing up, but I appreciate that’s not for everyone. Stupidly, I’ve only recently twigged that I’m not being a bad person if I use an accessible toilet. The extra space is very useful when there’s 2 people and a large backpack. Makes it even easier when I can bring the pushchair in there too.

@Soonenough thank you it's just one of the many things that are unfortunately a reality. We booked a holiday to disney world florida £11,500 and the only place we could change her if she needed to lay down was the first aid room!!! There is ONE per park at the entrance. This is marketed as the most magical and disability friendly place on earth. We cancelled in the end refusing to spend that much money (inheritance) when they don't even consider a safe place to change with dignity a priority even at that price and with the volumes of people with complex/severe special needs that visit. (This was 2020 I have no idea if they've now got one I'd bloody hope so)

Even when the floor of disabled toilets is clean and dry there are the times it is out of order, being used (fully or partially) as a store room, isn’t big enough to lay DS down (teen DS1 wears slips but we can’t change standing)…

This must be so, so difficult for those affected. Why on earth is anyone voting YABU?

@Sprinkles211 I am so sorry that this is your reality. Despite frequent contact with younger children and teens with disabilities I am quite ashamed that I had no idea that this was such an issue . Anyone looking after a disabled individual should have all the support they can possibly have . You are doing a tremendous job .

What county are you in OP? Posters might have venues to recommend.

Agree with this - some are horrible with wet dirty floors. We usually take a carrier bag to stand on - then it can just be chucked away.

Is your child able to stand OP? My son has Autism and learning disability, non verbal, also still in pads at 9. Most special schools will teach those who are able, to stand for changes, even for bms. Otherwise changing places as previously suggested but also some disabled and parent/child and baby change toilets may have a bench. When my DS was younger we sometimes had a change mat in the car for changes in the boot but really only ok when they’re little or you can screen / provide some privacy.

Is "everyone you know" trying to change an adult?

My 12 year old DS wears nappies, but he is able to stand to be changed.

It's horrible squatting down on the floor of the disabled toilets to change him though. He's in the pull- up style nappy so I have to remove his shoes, AFOs, pants and trousers every time which can be tricky when the disabled toilets aren't big enough or the floor is grim. The changing places toilets are so much better but are few and far between.

It’s definitely an issue and definitely raise it! There’s nowhere enough Changing Places!
Guessing the 43% of posters who’ve voted you’re being unreasonable have never tried to changing an older child’s pad on an often dirty toilet floor !!!!

My advice would be look up Laura Moore and don't bother campaigning. She tried, she was bullied so badly by the Daily Mail comment section and factions of social media that she left for good. It broke her spirit.

Don't take on this fight. Adapt your days out and if necessary, change in the car. That's what everyone I know does.

It's a huge issue for us my daughter is 8 will never be toilet trained to the extent that Nappies won't be needed due to her condition. Alot of the time we manage to do it stood up and I just hope the disabled toilet is clean as she's immunocompromised and touches everything, I usually end up covered in poop. There have been times I've put clothing down on the floor or shower curtains and had to just act like that's totally OK and normal so she doesn't feel any shame or worry. I can't tell you how many times I've silent cried on the way out when she can't see or how anxious I feel when she says she needs changing, often having to resort to parking in an isolated spot in a car park and laying her in the boot of my car rather than risk the facilities that are so called disability friendly. Unless you live this life you literally cannot imagine the fear.

I need to use a disable loo and I have only encountered 2 with the adult sized changing table. I think one of the problems is of the room it takes up. The loo has to be really spacious to accommodate the large table, plus carer and wheelchair. One was in a shopping centre and the other was in Henley by the river.