Marion Messmer
Pants down for Equality
Fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK
Story
#PantsDown4Equality!
Inadequate toilet provision is a major barrier to access and inclusion for hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their families and/or carers in the UK. The Changing Places toilet campaign seeks to put a stop to this.
Story
Sarah Brisdion is mother to twins Hadley and Erica, age 7. Hadley has Cerebral Palsy and is a full-time wheelchair user. As a result of his disability, Hadley requires Changing Places toilets with an adult-sized changing bench and hoist, in order to go to the toilet when away from home.
Hundreds of thousands of disabled people in the UK and their families require Changing Places toilets, including people with complex learning disabilities; people with physical disabilities; older people with mobility and/or cognitive issues or dementia; and people with cancer coping with colostomy bags.
Without these facilities, many are prevented from accessing their communities and are isolated. Not only do they feel excluded from society, they are faced with awful dilemmas when it comes to the disabled person’s toileting needs, including changing loved ones on urine-soaked toilet floors.
Following the success of her ‘loo advent’ in December 2017, Sarah came up with the idea of the ‘Looathon’.
On Friday, 11th May 2018, Sarah plans to sit on a toilet in full view of the public, in the window of the Bathstore's flagship store in Baker Street, London. She will be joined by dedicated campaigners from around the country, including the actress and disability rights campaigner Samantha Renke.
The Looathon has two goals:
1. To raise awareness of the unsafe, unhygienic and undignified conditions that disabled people and their families face when using the toilet away from home.
2. To raise money for MDUK, which will be used to fund a Changing Places toilet at a venue to be confirmed.
Muscular Dystrophy UK became a Changing Places Campaign co-chair in 2017 alongside PAMIS.
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