‘Nobody should have to change their child in the back of a van ’

The father of a 17-year-old wheelchair user has hit out at the lack of suitable public changing places for people with disabilities in Donegal, which has just one such registered public toilet.

Changing places facilities are public toilets which are fitted with specialist equipment including a hoist and changing bench. They provide enough space for up to two carers to support the person with a disability to use the changing place.

Aaron Daly, who lives in Dublin but is a regular visitor to family in Inishowen, says there are no publicly available facilities in the peninsula and on day trips the family was forced to bring a mattress so they can change their daughter Sophia in the back of their van.

Mr Daly, who is a member of the lobby group Changing Places Ireland, says Donegal is one of the worst counties for the provision of such facilities and the only facility in the county, at Narin- Portnoo, does not meet new standards and is categorised as "a step-down" facility.

New legislation comes into effect in January which will mean every new public building will be required to have changing places facilities as set out in the building regulations.

“Donegal is one of the poorest counties in Ireland as far as providing these facilities goes," he said.

"We went to a visitor attraction the other day. We asked if there was a disability bathroom, but the standard disability bathroom or access bathroom you can barely get a wheelchair into.

“Most disabled toilets are too small to change someone who can't use a toilet themselves. We have a 17-year-old girl and we couldn't change her there. She needs a Changing Places  Ireland facility that has a hoist and an adult-sized changing bench and a bit of room inside it so that we can hoist Sophia onto a bench, change her and put her back in the wheelchair.”

The lack of public changing places toilets in Donegal contrasts sharply with the situation in Northern Ireland, Mr Daly said, with five such facilities in Derry city alone. 

“They are ahead of us. They changed their budding regulations a  couple of years ago and they have just been providing better facilities for people with disabilities.”

The change in legislation will mean an increase in the number of facilities around the county over the coming years, he said. 

“The onus is on all businesses to qualify now under the new amendment in building regulations that these changing places are going to have to be available. Nobody should have to take whoever they are caring for and change them in the back of a van or on the floor of a dirty toilet.”

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He said there is also a lack of wheelchair access at beaches in Donegal and a “general lack of facilities for people in wheelchairs”.

On a visit to Lisfannon beach, access to the beach was difficult because of concrete bollards and rocks. He said the increased provision of such facilities is necessary to attract visitors to the county.

On one day trip during the family’s visit to Inishowen, they met three other families with wheelchair users, two of them children.

“They had to change their children in the back of a van. That's not the way to promote tourism in Donegal and Inishowen.”