Today is the International Day of People with Disabilitiesand we want to everyone to remember that inclusion is not optional, it’sessential! For people who need them, Changing Places toilets (CPTs) are essential for clean, safe and dignified toileting facilities away from home. We know that CPTs change lives and play a key role in making the world more accessible and equitable for well over 250,000 disabled people (not including their families and carers) in the UK alone.
IDPWD is a day of celebration, learning, optimism and action –so what does thatmean for CPTs?
Celebration
There’s always more to be done but today is a great opportunity to celebratehow far we’ve come! There are now 2549 CPTs in the UK and venues are reallystarting to understand the value of these life-changing facilities.
Learning
From fantastic work of our campaigners in promoting awareness of CPTs tothe resources on our website, we’re helping people to learn about CPTs andinclusion every day. Be sure to check out the ‘get involved’ section on ourwebsite.
In 2025, the CPT Consortium will mark its 20th anniversary,an important milestone for us to reflect on the success of the CPT movementover the past 20 years, and an opportunity to explore the origins and growth ofthe provision of Changing Places toilets and the future priorities of theChanging Places community.
Optimism
We have to be honest, it’s not always plain sailing - Not everyone gets it.
As our campaigners know all too well, sometimes persuading avenue/company toinstall a CPT can sometimes feel like a battle (we know, our amazingcampaigners get fantastic results and make it look easy - but there’s a lot ofhard work and dedication behind every good news story we share!).
But we have brilliant people onboard and, between our campaigners, supporters,CPT suppliers and the venues who really do understand, we knowthat there is a fantastic community of people working all-out to make the worlda more incLOOsive place. We see the change being made every day and with allthat we must celebrate, it’s easy to see why we’re optimistic about the future!
Action
This is a big one, but also very simple – we need morevenues to take action and install CPTs. We know that 2549 sounds like a lot of toilets but when you consider thatnumber across the whole of the UK it’s obvious that it just isn’t highenough.
Changing Places toilets are essential for lots of people. If we’re looking atfuelling an accessible and inclusive world then, as unexciting as they may beto most people*, toilets are going to be an essential part of that.
So this year, on International Day of People With Disabilities, we’re callingon everyone to make a change – whether that means showing yoursupport on social media, running a local campaign or committingto installing a CPT at your venue, WE NEED YOU!
Join the fight for incLOOsion today and let’s make theworld a more accessible and equitable place.
*That is, most people who aren’t part of the CPTcampaign, obviously… our excitement knows no bounds, we’realways up for talking about toilets!