Two Donegal Mums on how lack of changing facilities strips children’s dignity

For parents on a day out with children in tow, knowing where there are clean, accessible toilets or baby changing facilities is a must. 

But if you are the parent or carer for a child, teen or adult who cannot use a toilet because of additional needs, planning for changing facilities can be a logistical nightmare. 

According to the steering group Changing Places Ireland there are no registered Changing Places in Donegal and only 17 nationally.

Two Donegal Mums are sharing their experiences with our readers in the hope that it will raise awareness and encourage people to get behind the Changing Places campaign. 

Claire McDevitt from west Donegal is Mum to five-year-old Rory who uses a wheelchair.

She said: “More often than not we don’t go out at all for day trips because we can’t use the standard disabled toilets.

Not Fit For Purpose

“For children like my son Rory, standard disabled toilet aren’t fit for purpose, there isn’t enough space to move around with wheelchairs and a changing bench is essential as many children, adolescents and adults can’t use the toilet yet and require changing. 

“This is so unfair as our children deserve dignity and to live as much as the rest of us.”

Eileen Lennox who lives in the Donegal Town area knows all too well the challenges that this presents. Her daughter Laoise is now 17, and can be changed standing up. But for many years when Eileen needed to change her, there was simply nowhere available.

“I’ve had to change her in the boot of my car, trying to shield her from view at the same time,” she said.

“The public toilets in Donegal Town are totally inadequate and really not nice at all for anybody, never mind someone with a disability that you needs to be put lying on the floor to be changed.

“Those changing tables you see are fine for babies and toddlers. 

“But if you have a child of even four or five, never mind an adult, and they have mobility issues, you can’t lift them up onto a table.

“What you need is proper facilities - hoists, a wheelchair turntable, a table that can be lowered and raised.

Every Town Centre

“We need them in every town centre in Ireland. It is no good having one in Letterkenny if your child soils themselves in Donegal Town.”

Eileen is very supportive of the Changing Places campaign to have these facilities in every public building.

“The hotels really should have them,” she said. 

“What if you have someone at a wedding who needs to be changed?

“This is not just about children. People with a disability who have mobility issues and incontinence will need this throughout their lives.

Undignified

“It is so undignified to have to lie down on a toilet floor to get changed.”

Eileen believes the problem lies in a wider issue of lack of awareness that is reflected across many areas of society. 

This includes public transport, the way in which people block footpaths with cars, sandwich boards, plantpots and other items, the layout of shops, access to businesses, the narrowness of some footpaths, and the fact that sloped crossing points at footpaths are not always opposite each other. 

Public transport in particular is a big issue, and a source of much stress for those with a disability.

“I took my daughter on a train to Dublin and when we got to Connolly, the lift wasn’t working,” she said. “We don’t always have the wheelchair because she can walk a bit but it is very tiring for her to go too far. We had to walk the whole length of the platform to find a working lift.

“I’ve been in DART stations where you had to go up steps to reach a footbridge to cross tracks. 

“We need real awareness of what it is like for someone in a wheelchair or with limited mobility.”

Eileen is calling on people to get behind the Changing Places campaign so that people with disabilities can participate in everyday life without themselves and their carers having this constant problem of changing facilities.

Enshrining it in law would ensure that new facilities become available in the future. It also helps spread awareness, and it shows that this is a human right and not a token added extra.

Locally, the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation makes its changing facilities in Donegal Town available to families registered with the foundation. And the new Four Masters GAA Club’s clubhouse will also have these facilities.

Support The Campaign

We can all help make the wider availability of changing facilities a reality by supporting the Changing Places campaign. All it takes is the time to send an email. There is even a template available. 

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently seeking the views of the public about changing the Building Regulations so Changing Places Toilets will be mandatory in certain public buildings. Changing Places Ireland is calling on people and organisations in Donegal to email buildingstandards@housing.gov.ie in support of the proposed change. A sample email is available on www.changingplace.ie

The closing date for the receipt of submissions and comments is 5pm on May 12.