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mrsmollyc

22 Oct 2025

Changing Places toilet

4

4

Date of visit: August 2025

I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.

I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair

Overall Rating

Good

This Changing Places toilet was clearly a new addition to the venue. It had been built in between the main building and their outdoor performance space. To access the toilet I had to request the key from staff who were very happy to help. I would have struggled to gain access on my own though. The door was very heavy and because of the way it opened outwards, I had to push my wheelchair backwards which meant I started to roll back down the small ramp to the door. There was also then a small lip at the bottom of the doorway, which was also tricky to navigate given how heavy the door was. Once inside this was a really well-equipped and maintained Changing Places toilet. It was nice and clean and everything seemed to be well stocked such as the paper roll for the bench. Everything seemed to be in good working order and there was information and instructions on the wall on how to operate the ceiling hoist and height-adjustable bench. I found the lights a bit strange, they seemed to flicker for me which made my eyes hurt towards the end of using the toilet. Although my husband didn't seem to have any issues, so this is quite possibly just a 'me' problem! Overall, this is a really great addition to this venue. It feels like they've really made accessibility a priority and having the Changing Places toilet available just makes the experience that much more inclusive.

Disabled Access In and Around

Excellent

The centre is located across a small river, the River Rea, from the main road and car park. They have a covered bridge that crosses the river and it’s a really lovely view. There are ramps and stairs on either side of the bridge. The ramps had grab rails on either side. The main entrance had automatic sliding doors which led into a porch with absorbent flooring. Then there was another set of automatic sliding doors. On the ground floor, most of the flooring was something like linoleum which was very easy to push across. The Changing Places toilet was located through the café and bar areas which were towards the back and then the right as you entered the building. I could see a sign for the toilet as I went towards it. There was a set of automatic doors which opened outwards as you approached which led outside to a small courtyard. This had the Changing Places toilet and the entrances to a studio space and the outdoor performance area. There was a small ramp up to the door of the Changing Places toilet which had grab rails on both sides.

Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas

Parking & Transport

Good

I travelled to this place by personal vehicle

There are a number of private accessible parking bays available for people visiting the Midlands Arts Centre. They are across a narrow bridge from the public car park. There are 5-6 accessible parking bays there. There are also a number of accessible parking bays in the public pay-and-display car park at the front of the building. Approximately 250-300 metres from the centre are the Edgbaston Road and Midlands Arts Centre bus stops where you can get the 1, 1S and 41 buses. Around 450 metres away is the Priory Road bus stop where you can get the 41, 45 and 47 buses. The closest tram and train stations are quite a distance away. Travelling in your own vehicle or getting the bus are the best options for visiting here.

Accessible facilities: Drop-off or pick up point, Dedicated on-site parking, Public or on street parking

Accessible Toilets

Good

I had to request the key to access this toilet from the staff. They were really helpful and swift at getting me the key and just asked me to return it to the welcome desk once I was done. The door opened outwards, but it was really heavy. I luckily had my husband with me as I don’t think I would have managed to open it on my own. Part of the problem was the way the door opened, I came off the level part outside the door and started to roll back down the ramp again. There was also a bit of a lip at the bottom of the doorway to get inside. All of these factors made it very tricky for me to open the door and enter without help. Once inside there was a grab rail on the inside of the door and a simple twist lock. There were a few coat hooks mounted on the wall to the left of the door. There was a mix of some mounted at a lower height and some at a higher height. The toilet had space for both left and right-side transfers with grab rails that could be raised and lowered on both sides too. There were also two fixed grab rails mounted behind the toilet too. A cushioned backrest was placed behind the toilet seat. The flush was mounted on the wall behind the toilet and back rest. It had two circles and I needed to press one of them into the wall to operate the flush. There was a ceiling hoist and height-adjustable bench with information and instructions on the wall by each of them. They both had a maximum weight limit of 200kg. At the head of the bench was a paper roll dispenser that was at the height that the bench opened at to make it easy to place the paper on the bench. The sink was a fairly good size and had a single tap that was manually operated (no automatic sensors) with a twist lever that controlled the flow and temperature of the water. Directly to the right of the sink was the lever that could adjust the height of the sink. Above the sink were two fixed, vertical grab rails, a small mirror and above the mirror was a small shelf. To the left, they had a soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser mounted to the wall. To the right of the sink was another shelf which was closer to where the toilet was. There was also a larger mirror mounted on the wall opposite the door, a privacy screen and a chair. There was one emergency red cord in here which was hanging freely to the floor. I found the lighting in here to be slightly off-putting. It seemed to be flickering for me, which made my eyes hurt, but my husband didn’t experience the same issue.

Facilities: Changing Places toilet

Staff

Excellent

The staff were all really helpful and there was a really good presence of people around. When I requested the key for the Changing Places toilet it was radioed over to the on-duty manager who went and got it and brought it to me fairly quickly and was really lovely.