26th of June was a proud moment for Changing Places Ireland when Minister for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, launched the Universal Design Guidelines for Changing Places Toilets produced by the National Disability Authority (NDA) and Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD). The launch was both in person and on zoom and was attended by many people with an interest in Universal Design. The publication puts flesh on the bones of the changes to Part M of the Building Regulations which became live at the beginning of this year. The NDA Guidelines is the go-to handbook for anyone planning to install a Changing Places toilet. The NDA/CEUD are to be congratulated for all their hard work resulting in such a comprehensive document.
The amendment to Part M was a major milestone for CPI and was the culmination of many meetings between representatives from CPI, representatives from the Government, Architects, Construction Industry and the NDA. It ensures that Changing Places toilets will be compulsory in many public buildings from now on – a very welcome development.
At the NDA Launch front row (L:R) Sophia McGuinness and Ailis Healy. Back Row (L:R) Annette Monaghan, Aaron Daly, Minister Anne Rabbitte, Ann Healy and Aisling McNiffe