This is Wilson.
Wilson is five years old and needs Changing Places to be able to safely be changed after using the toilet. Without them this is the standard disabled toilet offered at Churchill Square .
Wilson’s Mum, Zoe did the #barefootchallenge at this time, bravely helping to create awareness. This is the reality faced by thousands. I believe Wilson and Zoe deserve so much more.
After this image was shared on the Facebook Page for Changing Places over 125,000 people viewed the photo, and some left negative comments. Negative comments such as ‘this is disgusting, why would you lay your child there’. Before commenting and leaving your comments for the world to see, think about what you want to achieve. Negative comments do not help the person in the picture, they only hurt their loved ones.
If you see this image, and believe that people should not have to meet their continence needs on the floor there are several things you can do.
- Help campaign! Changing Places would mean that this did not have to happen! http://www.changing-places.org/get_involved/take_action/run_a_local_campaign.aspx
- message your local MP and let them know the importance of Changing Places.
- Do the #barefootchallenge, take a photo of yourself barefoot and explain that you would not go barefoot in a public toilet, so why do we accept people being changed there.
- Go to the Facebook and Twitter pages for Changing Places, give us a like and a share and help create some much needed awareness.
Do it for Wilson and Zoe.
learninganddisability 
We are opening a new play area for children and have really struggled to find a changing table for children with disabilities that is with in our price range. We would also love to have a sensory area but again all the equipment is so expensive. Both of these have had to be put on hold until we are up and running and have taken enough money to pay for these. Which we are very sorry about.
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As a cheaper alternative, put a bench in the bathroom that could be used as a changing table. My local mall has 3 sets of bathrooms, and one of them has a nice wide and deep wooden bench built in that I’ve used as a changing table for my 9 year old with limited mobility many times. I carry a reusable incontinence pad in his bag to use on any hard surfaces I have to change him on.
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Very good point. We do need to make people aware and eliminate this problem.
As well, my inner secretary is emerging so I am suggesting a little correction to your write up. In the third point near the end, “…so why do we except people being changed there.” Change except to accept. “so why do we accept people being changed there.”
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thank you kindly
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I am a mom of a special needs 13yr old that is still in diapers. You don’t know how many floors I have had to lay my baby on to change him. I carry a cheap towel with me in his back pack just for this reason. In a perfect world there would be changing rooms in every public building. We know we don’t live in a perfect world so we have to think outside of the box sometimes!!
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I do the same, but I carry a reusable incontinence pad. It provides a little more padding if my 9 year old throws a fit and hits his head on the floor. I’ve done floor changes on it many times, but I have to admit, it’s a lot easier on my back when I find the occasional bathroom with a bench or a sturdier changing table.
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Its to just about hygiene though – its about carers health. Yes a towel on the floor is better than laying your child on a bare floor but the risk to carer and child caused by the physical lifting from wheelchair to floor and back up to wheelchair when your child (or adult) cannot stand themselves up is huge. I have a 5 year old with quad CP like Wilson (in fact the boys have been friends since they were babies). If I injure my back while lowering him to the floor I risk dropping him but am also out of action for 2 weeks while I get my back fixed leaving me unable to lift my son or care for my 2 other children. Its not too much to ask to have one Changing Places toilets somewhere in every town centre.
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Nope it is not too much to ask. It should be mandatory and a law. Just as the handicapped stall. No we do not live in a perfect world. We also should not have to change our grown children on the floor. PERIOD. I care not what the cost is either!!!!!!!
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Please dont take as a negative. I think this is absolutely disgusting we are in 2016 we have so many people children that are disabled things like bigger changing units should have been put in public places many decades ago x
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I have never experienced this myself as i have a healthy perfectly able bodied child. But i really feel for the parents and the children that this has to happen to, i have an averaged size 2 year old and he gets heavy at times, let alone an older child/teenager. I think that where there is a disabled toilet their should be some sort of changing unit for a disabled child in there! – I don;t feel comfortable putting my 2 year old on some of the changing tables ive seen in places they don’t seem strong or sturdy enough to hold his weight! I also carry a changing mat with me to put onto the table as who knows if they are clean either
i hope in the very near future something is done about this, both for the adults and the children
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Is there a petition site to sign
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https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-call-to-all-councils-to-help-get-changing-places-toilets-in-all-town-centres-with-a-bench-and-hoist-for-paralysed-severely-disabled-adults-children-instead-of-changing-them-on-the-urine-soaked-disabled-toilet-floor
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https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-call-to-all-councils-to-help-get-changing-places-toilets-in-all-town-centres-with-a-bench-and-hoist-for-paralysed-severely-disabled-adults-children-instead-of-changing-them-on-the-urine-soaked-disabled-toilet-floor
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I visited Shrewsbury recently and was talking to the toilet attendant of their improved facilities near the bear steps. They have a state of the art facility that has never been used with hoist shower etc. Please share this and if people know about it they might get used such a waste of money if they don’t!!!
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Reblogged this on Rett and Us and commented:
This is something we have to face so often with Romany. It’s awful having to lay Romany on a toilet floor to change her. It’s degrading and she deserves better.
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