Wellington City Council has this week opened the city’s first fully accessible public toilet facility
While many people can leave their house without a second thought, around 20,000 people in New Zealand are confined to their homes because they don’t have access to facilities for a basic human task – going to the toilet.
It is a very real problem for Jenn Hooper and her daughter Charley, 19, who has profound and complex disabilities that require full-time care and support.
“I’ll never see my daughter laugh, talk or move. She breaks my heart every damn day. But for a kid that can’t move or see or speak, she has changed more lives than anybody I know,” says Ms Hooper.
Charley was the inspiration behind the charity Changing Places New Zealand, which Ms Hooper founded in 2017 to ensure there were fully accessible toilets in Aotearoa for families like hers.
“Changing Places provides equipment that allows families to leave the house. Imagine if the only toilet and bathroom you could use was the one in your home. You’d be restricted to only going out for a couple of hours in your local neighbourhood, and even then you’re taking a risk,” she explains.
“In our case if a hygienic change is required, you’re faced with laying your loved one on the floor of a public loo or the backseat of your car, assuming they’re still small enough to lift. It’s either that or rush home with them in discomfort. That’s why so many of us end up staying at home.”
The design of a Changing Places bathroom took Ms Hooper more than four years to finalise. She says she carefully researched the best equipment to meet a wide range of needs, using her own family’s experience as a foundation for the design.
There are now 10 Changing Places bathrooms across the North Island, with the most recent facility opening in Wellington in the Te Aro Precinct Public toilets in Inglewood Place. Access is available through a Changing Places lifetime membership, which costs from just $150 (with many funding streams available) and provides access to any of the Changing Places across the country.
Some key features are:
- A height adjustable toilet with space away from the wall, allowing a caregiver to assist either side. This is different from a standard wheelchair-accessible toilet;
- A privacy screen around the toilet;
- A height-adjustable hand basin with built-in hand grabs for additional support;
- An adult sized height adjustable change table that doubles as a shower bed. The table includes features like warm-touch foam and positional profiling – think of it like a beach lounge chair where you can lift the backrest;
- A ceiling track hoist system that enables individuals to be moved safely around the room, from their wheelchair to the change table or elsewhere.
The height adjustable features aren’t only for the benefit of the person with significant disabilities. They also help prevent back injuries that so many caregivers obtain when the right gear isn’t available.
Ms Hooper said she feels immense pride in honouring her daughter and celebrating the opening of the 10th room in the nation’s capital.
“If I brought Charley down to Wellington with my family, as I have, she doesn’t get a shower until we go home. Now she can go to this toilet block and have a shower during a week-long visit to Wellington, and I as her carer have the right equipment to safely provide that care. It’s game changing. Wellington Council have done an amazing thing here by catering to this specific part of society,” she said.
“Restricting access prevents vandalism and ensures the room is clean and available for those who so desperately need it. It’s not about excluding those who don’t need them. These rooms are about including those who do.”
One of the most special touches is the way each facility reflects the city or area it’s based in.
The theme of Wellington’s room is ‘The Princess and the Pee’, a playful nod to its location in the entertainment district, with the Opera House on one side and the St James Theatre on the other.
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“The equipment and space gives the functionality that we need, but the artwork gives it heart. We want to make them beautiful and specifically nonclinical for families like ours. We spend our lives in so many clinical settings. Hospitals aren’t usually pretty places!”
At the heart of every Changing Places room is Charley. A photo or other representation of Charley can be found in the artwork of all 10 of the current rooms (with many more in the pipeline) as a reminder as to why these spaces are so important, says Ms Hooper (pictured).
“Charley is the catalyst – she’s why I created the network and the charity and everything else that goes with it. Charley showed me the gaps. All I did was figure out a way to fill them,” she said.
Wellington City Council recognises the need to improve the accessibility of its facilities through Te Āwe Mapara – Our Community Facilities Action Plan, said Connected Communities Manager, David Ensor.
“We are dedicated to making more spaces accessible in the city, guided by Te Āwe Mapara and we are thrilled to have a Changing Places room available in the capital. We look forward to seeing what more we can do as we continue this mahi,” said Mr Ensor.
