Total Hygiene has devised a total solution to effectively help compliance with the new European Disability Strategy. An estimated 80m people in Europe, of which 10m live in the UK, are disabled; the Strategy aims to enable them to ‘go about their daily lives like everyone else…removing barriers to equal participation in public life and leisure activities…’, fulfilling the EU’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Total Hygiene, the supplier of disabled toileting solutions, provides an effective means of helping satisfy the Strategy, via delivery of a fully accessible washroom (Changing Places) toilet. Larger than traditional accessible toilets, Changing Places toilets additionally include extra equipment of a height adjustable adult sized changing bench and hoist, in locations including shopping centres, transport hubs, leisure venues.
Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene Marketing Manager explains, “We all go to toilet an average 8 times a day! Able people take accessing appropriate toilets when ‘out of home’ for granted, but for disabled people, especially those that need the help of at least one carer, many current ‘accessible’ toilets do not meet their needs.
“The 2012 London Olympics make the need to cater for foreign, including EU and all disabled, visitors front of mind, but it is something our local authorities and leisure sector need to address for the longer term. A fundamental element of the UN Convention is universal design- of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
“A Changing Places toilet gives British service providers a unique, efficient and effective means to deliver what is required for British, EU and UN specification. We sponsor the Changing Places campaign, so have been heavily involved with many of the 400 already installed. We often find the building operators choose to also install a Clos-o-Mat, in the belief it makes the facility truly fully accessible.”
Total Hygiene’s Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita looks like, and can be used as, a conventional WC but further features integral douching and drying. As a result, it enables anyone with issues affecting manual dexterity, balance etc to toilet with little, or no help, eliminating the need for manual cleansing after toileting. This also delivers compliance with Islamic practice.
For more information telephone 0161 969 1199 or visit www.clos-o-mat.com.
