Take part in the British standard 8300 consultation

7 July 08

British Standard 8300: Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people contains guidelines for designing public buildings so that they are accessible to disabled people. This British Standard is currently being updated, and the Changing Places Consortium has campaigned hard for it to include Changing Places toilets – with a hoist, changing bench and plenty of space.

A draft of the British Standard has been published for public comment and the good news is it includes Changing Places toilets!

If the proposals are agreed and Changing Places toilets are included in the final version of the British Standard it will mean that Changing Places toilets are considered in the planning of all new big public buildings. This would be a huge step forward for the campaign and could change the lives of many thousands of disabled people and their families.

But without public support this won’t be achieved.

Please help by taking part in the consultation and helping the panel to understand how desperately Changing Places toilets are needed by disabled people and their families. It will be a long time until the standard is updated again, so let’s not miss this opportunity!

The closing date for the consultation is 31 July 2008.

How to take part

• Read the Changing Places section in the draft British Standard 8300
• If you would like to see and comment on the full draft British Standard 8300, this is available to download.

Online:

• Visit http://drafts.bsigroup.com
• Click 'register', then fill in your details. You will need to supply an email address. A username and password will be emailed to you (leave 'affiliation' blank if you are responding as an individual).
• Return to http://drafts.bsigroup.com and click 'login', then enter your details. You can then go straight to the page on Changing Places toilets.
  (If this does not work scroll down the home page and click on BS8300 > click 'view the draft' > click '12 Individual rooms' > Scroll down the left hand column and click '12.6 Changing Places facilities').
• You can view the proposal for Changing Places toilets here. At the bottom of the page fill in your comments and (if you want to) your proposed change. Click ‘submit comment’.
• You can also view and comment on all other proposed changes to British Standard 8300 at http://drafts.bsigroup.com

Write or email

• Read the Changing Places section in the draft British Standard 8300
• Fill in the comment form (column 1: leave blank > column 2: clause number is ‘12.6’ > column 3: leave blank or if commenting on the drawing enter ‘figure 59’ > column 4: enter ‘ge’ for a general comment or ‘te’ for a technical comment > column 5: enter your comments > column 6: enter your proposed change or leave blank > column 7: leave blank).
• Email your form to cs@bsi.group.com OR
• Send to
  BSI British Standards,
  389 Chiswick High Road
  London, W4 4AL
  

Further information

• To contact the Changing Places Consortium email changingplaces@mencap.org.uk or call 020 7696 6954