In 2008 our founder, Ann Healy, came across Changing Places UK – a website promoting toilets with a ceiling track hoist and adult sized height adjustable changing bench – and realised these types of facilities would improve the lives of her daughter, Ailis, and other people with disabilities who depend on a hoist to use a toilet. Ann set about highlighting the need for Changing Places toilets and had some success with CPT’s being installed in Trinity College, Aras an Uachtarain and Dundrum Shopping Centre.
In 2014 Inclusion Ireland came on board and Changing Places Ireland (CPI) was born. Thereafter the Working Group Ann had started expanded to include more parents, people with disabilities and organisations working in the disability sectors including Enable Ireland, Irish Wheelchair Association, Central Remedial Clinic, Disability Federation of Ireland, InterAct (TCD) and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland and was the beginning of a coordinated response to the lack of fully accessible toilets in Ireland. The Changing Places Ireland campaign set out to introduce fully accessible toilets to public places such as shopping centres, libraries and sporting arenas across the country.
As the number of CPT’s slowly continued to grow CPI realised that Part M of the Building Regulations needed to be amended so that CP facilities would become compulsory in many buildings into the future. In February of 2022 CPI grew momentum and a Public Consultation on the review of Building Regulations Part M (Access & Use) to make provision for a changing places toilet in certain buildings was announced. An unpresendented 650 submissions were received by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage from the general public, the highest recorded amount of submissions by any Government department. It proved that thousands of voices were heard and the People of Ireland ‘Had Their Say’ cementing the provision and need for CPT’s across Ireland.
With new legislation now in place to provide for and include Changing Places Toilets in the Building Regulations Part M (Access & Use) from 1st January 2024 we look forward to CPs becoming the norm throughout the country so that the people who need them will be able to get out and about and live ordinary lives that the wider community take for granted.
On June 26th Minister Anne Rabbitte launched the National Disability Authority (NDA) and Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) Guidelines for Changing Places Toilets. This publication is the go-to manual for anyone considering installing a Changing Places Toilet.
June also saw changes in the Structure of Changing Places Ireland, to form a Company Limited by Guarantee and enable the team to liaise and provide advice to venues who are planning to install a Changing Place Toilet. CPI look forward to registering CPT’s on their Website and Google Map to make planning a trip an enjoyable experience. Click to get in touch Contact
