Accessible public toilets are important, basic infrastructure

Pushing back on the "woke nonsense" foolishness.

Wellington City Council recently celebrated opening a brand new public toilet block. This new block includes a Changing Places fully accessible facility for people with disabilities and some fun, colourful lighting:

the new toilet block at night with fun lighting on display

You’d think this would be cause for celebration and recognition of all the hard work, community involvement, and planning that has taken place in the lead up to these toilets being opened.

Putting the block in a visible place, installing new CCTV cameras, and adding beautiful lighting are all designed to promote access and reduce anti-social behaviour. It’s been carefully thought through to look good, be practical, and contribute to the vibrancy of a city.

It’s worth mentioning too, that Changing Places facilities are so much more than accessible public toilets. They mean freedom for people with disabilities to interact fully with our communities and facilities without worrying about needing a toilet. It means disabled people and families can shop, socialise and/or travel within the city and still have access to a toilet.

Having a fully accessible bathroom is both a basic human right and supports disabled people and families to come into the city. Win win all round.

Unless you’re National or the Prime Minister, it seems.

Then, these valuable and important pieces of key infrastructure are objects of ridicule. A brickbat to beat local councils with. Something to shame people for using or needing.

On Twitter, the National Party referred to them “woke nonsense”. On Linked In, the PM scorned “fancy toilets" and promoted legislation to prevent further public toilets being built by local councils.

National and the PM targeting local councils for providing fully accessible public toilets for disabled people is a horrible, uncaring thing to do. It shows such contempt and disregard for disabled people and families.

Basics like fully accessible toilets are a human right and are very much needed in all cities and towns. Yes, they cost money. All public infrastructure costs money. Fully accessible public toilets are a decent and valuable part of basic council spending.

It is a cruel punch down on disabled people and families, to frame basic needs as a luxury. Targeting local councils for providing accessible toilets for disabled people shows real contempt and disregard for disabled people and families. We deserve better than this from our elected representatives.

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What can we do?

There are several positive things you can do in response to this unnecessary level of negativity and nastiness.

Write to your local representatives

Write to your local MP and/or local council members. Ask them if they agree with the publics statements by the National Party and the PM that frame accessible toilets as “woke nonsense” and "fancy”? Ask them to explain why they think this. Ask them what groups of people in your electorate (disabled, elderly, LQBTQ+, people who bike?) they think are “woke” and undeserving of basic amenities such as accessible toilets.

Tell them you support fully accessible public toilets and the wonderful work that Changing Places does. Ask if they support Changing Places amenities and basic human rights for disabled people and families, and what they will do to support the implementation of these in your local area. Tell them how disappointed you are to hear that our PM does not support accessible toilets being built and considers them an unnecessary luxury. Explain that fully accessible toilets are not a luxury but a basic human right. Tell them you support local councils spending money on basic amenities such as public toilets and accessibility.

Support Changing Places

They have a great website with lots of options for support - spread the word on social media, donate, learn about the work they do, email them.

Post on social media

Feel free to copy and paste anything I’ve written - or write your own post about why accessible public toilets are a good thing, a core basic piece of infrastructure, much needed, and that they deserve decent recognition, not sneered at as “woke nonsense”. Demand better from our elected representatives than this.

You could also use the following information from the Changing Places website about who uses fully accessible public toilets:

Who uses a fully accessible public toilet?

There are about 17,000 people in New Zealand who are unable to use a standard accessible toilet.

These potential users include:

• people with conditions that affect their movement, including cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, or motor neurone disease

• people with head injuries, severe spinal injuries, or acquired brain injury

• people living with stroke

• people with autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities

• people with incontinence or bowel problems

• people who use wheelchairs or who have had a limb amputated

• people with profound disability or quadriplegia

• older people with mobility problems, continence issues, or dementia

• entire families of people with a disability, who cannot fully participate in the community because toilet facilities are not available for their loved one

This is not a complete list. There are many, many reasons why people might need special assistance to change or use the toilet.

For some people a standard accessible toilet is usually enough, but there are times when they need extra facilities. Just knowing that fully accessible changing facilities are there if they are needed can make all the difference for people to get out and participate in the community.