Geraldton is the first place in WA with a certified adult change facility for people with a disability
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Council’s ongoing commitment to improve access and inclusion throughout the City has resulted in Geraldton being the first City in the state to receive accreditation for a Type 2 Changing Place facility.
The recently refurbished Town Beach toilet block located in the Youth Precinct offers a clean and secure Changing Place for people with disability who need space and assistance to use the bathroom when they are away from home.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the Town Beach toilet block is one of very few certified Changing Place facilities in the nation.
“Every day there are thousands of Australians with disability are confined to their homes due to inappropriate toilet facilities as they require assistance to use the bathroom,” he said.
“Across the country there are only a handful of facilities that meet the Changing Place’s requirements for certification and we are very proud to be the first Local Government one in WA.”
The City received $100,000 in grant funding from the Disability Services Commission, administered by the Western Australian Local Government Association for the refurbishment of the toilet block.
Geraldton is not only the first local government to receive accreditation, the Town Beach toilet block is also the first facility in a network of Changing Places whose construction has been joint funded.
The video below is from the launch in January of the Youth Precinct and new change facilities.
Youth PrecinctIntroducing the new City of Greater Geraldton "Youth Precinct". It opens this Australia Day. We headed down there this afternoon to have a look and speak with a few folk from CGG about the new foreshore addition. It looks like a lot of fun for all age groups. There's a rage cage, some very fun looking electronic games, foosball tables, table tennis, and more. It will be open each day from 6:30am until 10:30pm. Sports equipment is available from the Visitor Centre with a $5 deposit. There is a new "Changing Places" toilet facility, that provides unprecedented facilities for restricted mobility members of our community, a first for WA. A beach access ramp for wheelchairs is also on its way. Stay tuned later in the year when the rest of the multi user facility is finished. CGG have called the multi user facility and Youth Precinct the "jewell in the crown" for our foreshore. It certainly is a welcome addition to our city.
Posted by Everything Geraldton on Sunday, January 24, 2016
