A national museum, originally envisaged as being “an inspiration for our country’s future”, has continued that philosophy in its latest refurbishment to deliver exemplar accessibility.
St Fagans National Museum of History in Wales has included not just one, but two Changing Places assisted accessible toilets. And it has gone further: the conventional WC has been replaced in both instances with a Closomat Palma Vita wash and dry toilet (as noted in the latest relevant British Standard to enhance dignity and independence). The facilities mean that people, and their carers, who need support to address their intimate needs can do so, with optimum hygiene, safety, privacy and dignity.
The toilets are located in the refurbished main building, and in the new Gweithdy building, which celebrates traditional skills.
Head of St Fagans National Museum of History, Bethan Lewis, said,
Facilitating access and enabling participation for all our visitors is an essential part of what we offer here at St Fagans. We already had a stand-alone Changing Places on site, but as part of the redevelopment project, and on the advice of access consultants, we thought this was an ideal opportunity to enhance our offering.
Added Kelvin Grimes, Closomat’s away from home project manager,
Inevitably when people visit a museum they spend time there, and may very well need to use the toilet. That applies to all visitors, so it is appropriate the needs of all visitors are addressed as far as possible. To include as many people’s needs as possible, St Fagans chose to fit the Closomat in place of a conventional WC, to further extend the Changing Places’ suitability, and optimise dignity and hygiene for users.
