Changing spaces for Disabled Children UK

04/06/2026

The lack of suitable changing facilities for people with disabilities needs to change,but also finding the facilities and gaining access to the ones that already exist also needs to improve dramatically.

As the campaign pushes forward struggling to find changing places toilets that already exist is proving to be a massive issue.

Many of the current changing places toilets are hidden within businesses without efficient sign posting.

So I’d love to hear from you.

♿ How easy do you find it to locate accessible toilets or Changing Places toilets?

🚗 how often do you have to travel or leave a venue to find suitable facilities?

📍 Have you ever discovered a facility years after it was installed or heard from word of mouth?

🏢 Have you ever found a facility hidden inside a business or attraction that you didn’t know was there because there was no sign posting?

🗺️ Would better signposting make you feel more confident about visiting new places?

I’m gathering experiences ahead of a meeting with York’s Access Team next week and I want to make sure lived experiences are heard.

As always, your comments help me understand the barriers families are facing every day. Outside of our own experiences too!

If you haven’t already please spare a moment to sign our petition. The petition link is in the comments below 👇

💗

03/06/2026

Our petition continues to grow every day. We are raising awareness and pushing forward for change!

We are fighting for changing benches to be installed in disabled toilets across the UK that have adequate space so we are no longer changing disabled children on public toilet floors.

Let’s keep pushing to raise awareness and fight for change!

I’m super excited for our upcoming meeting next Monday to discuss what we can do to make change with our local council acess team!

Hopefully we will hear that government response ASAP.

Please keep signing and sharing our petition!

It’s time our families were supported in our communities!

Petition link is in the comments below 👇 💗

02/06/2026

Families are standing up to fight against the lack of changing facilities for our disabled children. And it’s time we all made our voices heard. This is a UK wide issue. No child should have to be changing on a dirty public toilet floor.

Please keep signing our petition
It’s vital that our communities change.

👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763785

Stafford mum calls for better Changing Places access in the town centre.

Penny’s mum, who runs Penny’s Army - our Sanfilippo fight., shared the family’s experience after saying Penny had to be changed on a toilet floor during a weekend visit to Stafford.

Changing Places toilets are different from standard accessible toilets. They include equipment such as an adult-sized changing bench and a hoist, which some older children and adults need for safe personal care.

Penny, from Stafford, has Sanfilippo syndrome and was featured by BBC Children in Need in 2024. Her family are now raising awareness of why better toilet access matters for families planning days out.

01/06/2026

Today I have had communication with York city councils access team. And I am meeting with them next Monday to share our experience of the struggles with accessibility in York city centre to support change.

Now we have reached over 10,000 signatures for our petition for changing benches to be installed in disabled toilets across the UK this is also opening doors for discussion.

This is a fantastic opportunity to share our needs I also think it’s a really important opportunity to share the struggles of other families too.

So if you can please share your experiences of accessibility needs it would be great to hear your experiences.

You don’t have to be living in York. I am looking at the wider access needs across the UK, to ensure that accessibility is consistent regardless of where you live.

So if you can spare a moment to share you experiences that would be absolutely fantastic and I will make sure your voices are heard.

I will also link the Petition link in the comments below so if you haven’t already please spare a moment and keep signing 💗

Thank you everyone!
Ella x

31/05/2026

This is why disabled toilets are not fit for those who cannot physically use a toilet.

The sign on the door might say “disabled” toilet. But the reality is very different.

A disabled child who cannot physically use a toilet, and is over the 15kg weight limit of a baby changing unit is left with no choice but to be changed on toilet floors in times of need.

Here is an example of a situation where we had no choice but to change Ada on the floor.

This is a radar key disabled toilet. A toilet we was directed to use.

Support our petition for change. We have over 10,000 signatures and we are pushing forward to our next milestone to demonstrate how many families are affected by this issue.

Awareness needs to be raised.

Link is in the comments 👇 and also in my bio!

31/05/2026

Let’s talk!

As promised I said I would discuss about what the plan is now we have reached 10,000 signatures and continuing to grow.

I have been listening to all of your voices. I am actively making note to ensure that everyone is heard.

I am currently working behind the scenes to secure meetings with the right people to discuss access needs.

If you have anything you would like to share or be addressed please comment below so I can ensure your voice is heard.

Don’t forget to continue signing our petition. Every signature counts to ensure conversations with the right people are happening.

Petition link 👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763785

Thank you for the continued support! 💗

゚viralシ

30/05/2026

As we continue to push forward with our petition I think it’s really important to highlight about the 2021 changing places law to help people understand why currently changing places are not regularly available and why this must change.

Here I am at monks cross shopping park in York. Which currently has no changing places toilets, regardless of the information centre hub, which host a wide range of toilets, changing facilities and a feeding room.

Currently the Law on changing places toilets states that new large public buildings built after 2021 must have a changing places toilet installed. Which is fantastic, however currently changing places toilets are like absolute gold dust to find because new buildings do not get built as often as we would like to think.

It’s time we looked at the buildings that already exist, that have adequate space but are not providing suitable facilities.

These places currently have no legal requirement to provide suitable changing facilities meaning they have wasted space and disabled children are still being changed on public floors.

I am fighting to make it mandatory for disabled toilets that have space across the UK to have changing benches installed so families with disabled children have suitable facilities.

We have over 10,000 signatures, but it is incredibly important that we show how wide spread this issue is to have our voices heard for change.

100,000 signatures will mean that this topic will be discussed in Parliament!

You can Support the campaign for change here:

👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763785





゚viralシ

30/05/2026

🎉 IT IS OFFICIAL. 10,000 signatures! 🎉

The government now has to respond!

A massive thank you to every single person who has taken a moment to sign and share! Every single interaction has made this possible!

Honestly what an absolutely incredible achievement! I couldn’t have done it without every single person backing us as a family.

While we can all take a moment to celebrate knowing that the goverment will respond, we must remember the fight is not over yet.

Every single signature represents a family who needs change. A family whose child/ adult is isolated away from society because our communities are not meeting need.

It represents families who are struggling to take part in daily life due to the lack of changing facilities.

Changing benches open doors so families like ours can be included in daily life.

We must continue to fight. To show how many families are affected by this!

While we wait for the government to respond we must push forward.

So if you haven’t yet signed our petition please spare a moment to sign, share, let’s make sure families like ours have our voices heard!

And once again, thank you all so much! 💗

👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763785

30/05/2026

We are officially 157 signatures away from reaching our 10,000 target! 🎯

🎉That is 9,843 signatures to date! 🎉

Nearly 10,000 families with disabilities represented for the lack of suitable changing facilities!

Today we must push over to the 10,000 threshold to secure a government response to this petition.

We are fighting to ensure that no disabled child has to be changed on a public toilet floor because of the lack of suitable changing facilities in our public venues and cities.

Every single signature counts towards reaching our minimum target.

Every single signature represents the need for change and supports a family in this position.

Please keep signing, keep sharing!

Let’s show how widespread this issue is.
Let’s show how many families are suffering and how needed this change is.

Let’s get over that line today and continue to push to represent the need for change.

Thank you all for your support! 💗

You can sign the petition here:
👉

Introduce requirements for large public venues such as supermarkets and family attractions to provide accessible changing benches so disabled children who outgrow baby changing tables can be safely changed in public places

29/05/2026

Here is an example of a superstore supermarket at monks cross shopping park in York.

We are seeing a massive increase in baby changing rooms, and feeding rooms being designed across the UK 🇬🇧
But non of these are designed with disabled children in mind. Meaning we are left with no suitable changing facilities and are forced to use public toilet floors.

These spaces could easily be adapted!

My petition is to insure that all large venues like this superstore Asda have a changing benches installed so disabled children like Ada are no longer being changed on public floors.

Venues with adequate space new or old should have changing places toilets!

My petition has reached over 9,600 signatures, but we need 10,000 for a government response.

Let’s push! We need to show how many people are affected by this!

If you have had to change your child on a public toilet floor, sign the petition!

Please sign, share!
Let’s make a change!
Petition link is in the comments below 👇