At Blackwood we have a great number of adapted bathrooms in our properties many using clos-o-mat toilets, the manufacturer is running an initiative to bring these toilets into public buildings to make access easier for disabled people.

Clos-o-mat toilets have built in shower and drying capacities which, makes them ideal for people with limited movement. The Changing Places campaign, run by the Changing Places consortium which includes PAMIS and Mencap, is probably the most important initiative in the disability access field for the last 20 years. It supports the rights of people with profound and multiple learning and/or other physical disabilities, to access their community. Without Changing Places toilets, carers are forced to change their loved ones on toilet floors or be confined to their own homes. 

It is perhaps worth noting that the EU is now focusing more and more upon access issues for people with disabilities, with its European Disability Strategy 2010 - 2020 looking to provide the estimated 80 million EU citizens with a disability, a more equal participation in everyday life. Participation, one of the eight key aims of this strategy, promotes the removal of the barriers that prevent disabled people from fully enjoying the benefits of equal involvement in society. Within the UK, the provision of Changing Places facilities can be seen as a help towards satisfying the aims of this strategy.

For more details on the initiative see the companies website