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Consultation open on Review of Building Regulations – closing date 12th May. We have a great chance now to get more Changing Places across the country. A public consultation on the Review of Building Regulations to get more Changing Places-  toilet facilities in certain buildings is now open until 12th May. This is great news for thousands of children and adults with disabilities who are restricted in where they can go and what they can do because they will not find a toilet with the equipment they need.   We would encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation and highlight how important and necessary these facilities are. To show your support, send an email to buildingstandards@housing.gov.ie to tell the Department there needs to be more "Changing Places" in the country. It is easy to make a submission - check out www.changingplaces.ie  for a sample e mail. We would encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation and highlight how important and necessary these facilities are. To show your support, send an email to buildingstandards@housing.gov.ie to tell the Department there needs to be more Changing Places in the country. It is easy to make a submission and we have a sample email below which you can use as a template for your own submission. Sample email to send to buildingstandards@housing.gov.ie “I wish to register my support for Changing Places toilet facilities standards to be included in Part M building regulations. Including Changing Places toilet facilities standards in Part M building regulations is essential because:

  • Changing Places toilet facilities have minimum standards for room dimensions and specialised equipment which are required in order for the many people who need such facilities to have safe and hygienic access to toilet facilities in our towns and communities.
  • People who need a Changing Places toilet are currently excluded from places and buildings because public toilets; and standard accessible public toilets; do not meet their toileting requirements. Part M regulations would ensure Changing Places are available.
  • The Changing Places Ireland campaign has led to less than 20 registered changing places facilities across the State in 7 years. Because there is a reliance on goodwill rather than legislated inclusive design people continue to be excluded from their towns and communities and from many opportunities most take for granted such as access to work, recreation, retail, leisure, sporting, education, economic and transport outlets. Part M regulations would ensure inclusion is by design rather than by favours.
  • There needs to be a reasonable network of such facilities to provide inclusive access to the built environment and infrastructure across Ireland, and to ensure basic respect and dignity for everyone living in, working in, or visiting our towns and communities. Part M regulations would ensure there is a network of such facilities.”
___________________________________________________________ You can add a personal comment to your email on your own experience and why Changing Places Toilet Facilities are essential. Send your email to buildingstandards@housing.gov.ie Full detail on how to take part in the consultation, including an easy read consultation document, are available here – https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/247d5-public-consultation-on-the-review-of-building-regulations-part-m-access-and-use-to-make-provision-for-a-changing-places-toilet-in-certain-buildings/ The closing date for the receipt of submissions and comments is no later than 5:00 p.m. on 12 May, 2022. We would encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation and highlight how important and necessary these facilities are.

Friday 24th September 2021

Make Way Day is a National Public Awareness Campaign that highlights the issues people with disabilities face getting around their local communities. "Hey, this blocks my way!" is the message.   

The theme for this year’s campaign is   

“Make Way in My 5k”  

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We once again take aim at obstacles like cars on the footpath, while taking measures to keep a safe distance. However, with the ongoing COVID pandemic we need to adapt the Make Way Day campaign for this year.  You will be invited to undertake a survey of your area with an online easy-to-use tool designed by the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) DFI. People will be empowered to give their 5K or area a rating from one to five stars depending on the obstacles they come across. 

There will be a link to the tool on all Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) social media platforms and website on Friday 24thn September. LAPWD will also share the link.

DFI will coordinate all the results and share them with the right people and work together to help solve the problems. 

Thank you for your ongoing support  for Make Way Day, which is vital to the success of the campaign. Make Way Day is a real team undertaking that has a positive impact in achieving local and national recognition of accessibility in our towns and communities.  

Post a pic of everyday obstructions #MakeWayDay20

About Make Way Day

“Make Way Day” is a campaign that brings the disability and wider community together to consider the needs of people with disabilities in the public spaces we all share.

It is led by the Disability Federation of Ireland and is a unique collaboration across Ireland and the voluntary and local government sectors. But most of all it’s about people with disabilities.

But everyone can get involved. And everyone should get involved because we’ve discovered thoughtlessness is the big issue. We’ve compiled a terrible top three of obstacles that stop people with disabilities in their tracks.

  1. Cars parked on footpaths
  2. Bicycles illegally parked
  3. Bins left on footpaths

The revolution starts with you!

Most people are unaware of the problems these behaviour cause and we’ve found a friendly reminder is enough to get most people to change.

‘Make Way Day’ is not about pointing the finger at local authorities, other agencies or random scattered activism. The whole point of the day is making the public aware of an issue that is fully within their power to change. It’s about One impactful, coordinated and decisive day of action.

Leading the charge are people with disabilities. Local authorities and disability organisations supply removable stickers that are used to mark obstacles. “Hey, this blocks my way!” is our message. So, on 25th September each year obstacles that block the way and complicate the lives of people with disabilities for 365 days of the year are highlighted.

Better yet photos and videos are taken and posted and shared on social media using #MakeWayDay20. Our campaign and campaign video went viral in 2017 and one million people saw and shared posts last year.

Access is the most basic of all disability rights. The public footpaths are for everyone and we can all agree on that. In a wider context this one day focuses the mind on people with disabilities, their lives and needs.

The event will take place this year on Friday September 25th, 2020 with support so far from 29 local authorities, details here, http://makewayday.com/.

The campaign was phenomenally successful last year, reaching over 1,000,000 people on social media and appearing on RTE news bulletins across the day. www.makewayday.com

Charity Number: 12005

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