Campaigning for our children with disabilities.

Sarah Brisdion - 14 Apr 16

So here I am. I blog about this already within the special needs community, but I’ve been so in love with Selfish Mother tees and the brand, that I thought I’d jump in here and share my story with you guys too.

My little man is called Hadley. He has a twin sister Erica. They are five years old (going on 15!) When going out, Hadley is faced with the undignified, unsanitary and heartbreaking situation of being changed on urine-soaked toilet floors, because standard disabled toilets simply do not meet his needs. Hadley has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair. His condition means he is unable to control his bowel and bladder and so he wears nappies and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

He is just as cheeky and impressionable as any other five year old. He loves trains, being outdoors, playing with his friends and family and exploring the world around him. But this is made incredibly difficult for him and he already understands how degrading it is to be changed on a toilet floor, something that regularly reduces him and us to tears.

As able bodied adults, we would not visit a venue or attraction if there wasn’t a toilet we could use, and we certainly wouldn’t lay a baby on a toilet floor to be changed! So why is it ok for Hadley and the hundreds of thousands of other children, teens and adults in the UK who have similar needs, to be faced with this hideous situation?

But currently, a standard disabled/accessible toilet is only suitable for those who can use a toilet independently or with minimum support. For anybody who needs physical help accessing the toilet (i.e. they need to be lifted) or who has to wear nappies, a disabled/accessible loo simply does not meet their needs. They are faced with either being changed on a dirty toilet floor, being unsafely lifted on and off of toilets and floors or forced to sit for prolonged periods in their own bodily waste. For many, it makes it almost impossible to go out at all!

What Hadley needs in disabled toilets (along with hundreds of thousands of other people in the UK) is a hoist and a height adjustable, adult-sized changing bed. These special toilet facilities are often called Changing Places, or Space to Change facilities.

I have set up my own campaign in Hadley’s name www.hadleysheroes.co.uk to help businesses, venues, Councils, Hospital Trusts and other organisations become more accessible. I work with other campaigners, parents and carers to help raise awareness of this need and to help make a change in our society, so that my little boy and others like him, do not have to face this indignity anymore.

I truly believe that half of the problem is that people simply aren’t aware this is even a problem in the first place. So so how can we expect them to put it right? We need to shout loud and make ourselves heard and help the world improve.

If you and your family suffer similar circumstances, or you would like to know more, please do drop me a line (info@hadleysheroes.co.uk) – I know there are so many of us out there. I’d love to hear from more parents who are living with these issues and I will try to help wherever I can, whether it’s just to share stories and support each other or to actively help you campaign for facilities in your area.

Thanks, Sarah xx

Sarah Brisdion

My name is Sarah, I'm 37 years old. Mum to six year old twins, one who has special needs (Cerebral Palsy). As well as a mother, I'm a copywriter and campaigner for disabled rights. I love a good chat, a good bottle of wine and a good chocolate cake! Oh and of course, a good SM tee! xx

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