Toilets: accessibility with dignity

Kymberly Lennon, a wheelchair user from Bangor, has received £2,000 in compensation after she encountered considerable difficulties when visiting the “Jenny Watt’s” pub in Bangor. She found that there was no appropriate disabled toilet facility for female wheelchair users. The male toilets had an accessible toilet, but to use this women with disabilities had to have staff clear the male toilets and wait at the door to ensure that the toilets were not used by male customers until the woman with a disability left. Ms Lennon alleged that this compromised the dignity of women with disabilities in accessing the toilet facilities.

The owners of the premises - Beannchorr Ltd - have undertaken to construct asingle unisex wheelchair accessible toilet on the ground floor which meets buildingregulations standards; and to meet with the Equality Commission to review the progress and completion of the structural alterations. A senior member of staff will also attend disability awareness training provided by the Commission.

( reproduced from http://www.disabilityaction.org/NewsItem.aspx?ID=111)