National Inclusion Week: Building Trust, Navigating Change

Last week was National Inclusion Week, and while we're a little late in sharing this message, the theme remains just as important. Inclusion shouldn't be something we think about for one week each year. It should be embedded in how we design places, services and communities every day. That's why we're continuing the conversation and highlighting the vital role Changing Places toilets play in creating a more inclusive society.

 

For many people, something as simple as going out for the day, visiting a new place, attending an event, or taking a family holiday can depend on one thing: access to a suitable toilet.

 

For over ¼ million people in the UK who need a Changing Places toilet, standard accessible toilets simply do not meet their needs. Without the specialist equipment and space provided by a Changing Places toilet, many disabled people are left with impossible choices. Some are forced to cut trips short, avoid activities altogether, or stay at home. Others restrict their food and fluid intake before travelling or attending events to reduce the need to use the toilet, impacting their health, comfort, and wellbeing. Some may even have to be changed on the floor of an unsuitable toilet, in the back of a vehicle, or in other undignified and unsafe environments. A lack of appropriate toilet provision can mean people are excluded from everyday activities that many of us take for granted. This is not inclusion.

 

A Changing Places toilet provides more than equipment. It provides dignity, safety, privacy, and freedom. It enables people with complex disabilities, and others with high support needs, to participate in everyday life alongside their families, friends, and communities.

 

This year's National Inclusion Week theme, Building Trust, Navigating Change, reminds us that inclusion is about more than good intentions. Trust is built when disabled people can rely on accessible facilities being available when they need them. Change happens when organisations recognise barriers and take action to remove them.

 

Every new Changing Places toilet helps create a more inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of choice, dignity, and belonging. Yet there is still much more to do.

 

Because true inclusion means no one has to plan their life around the availability of a toilet. It means everyone can travel, work, learn, socialise, and enjoy their community with dignity and confidence.

 

On National Inclusion Week and every week, we encourage businesses, venues, local authorities, developers, and decision-makers to consider how accessible their facilities really are. By investing in Changing Places toilets and ensuring they remain available, well-maintained, and easy to find, we can remove barriers, build trust, and create lasting change. Together, we can help create communities where disabled people and their families can participate fully in everyday life.

 

Find your nearest Changing Places toilet, register a new facility, or learn more about Changing Places Toilets at www.changing-places.org or by emailing changingplaces@pamis.org.uk.