DRC Warns, "Don't Blame Disabled for Public Toilet Closures"

Local councils are using the introduction of new disability access laws as an excuse to close public toilets, the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) said today.

From 1 October 2004, any body that provides a service to the public has a legal responsibility to consider what improvements it can make to ensure its service is not impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use, under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). That might involve changes to buildings. However the DDA only requires what is reasonable.

Many local councils claim the new legislation means that inaccessible public toilets must be closed. According to the DRC, toilets have been shut down in towns and cities across Britain - for example in Swansea, and Tiverton in Devon - where the new duties have been used as a reason for closures.

Earlier this year, the DRC launched its Open4All campaign to promote awareness of the new law and to reveal the business benefits of making services more user-friendly to Britain's eight and a half million disabled people.
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