A HAMPSHIRE mum has sat on a loo in the middle of Southampton in aid of equality.

Sarah Brisdion, the mother of a disabled boy, sat on a toilet outside the SeaCity Museum in to raise awareness of the need for Changing Places toilets – accessible WCs with adult-sized changing benches and hoists.

Without benches and hoists in accessible toilets, thousands of disabled people have no choice but to lie on toilet floors to have continence and sanitary items changed or be prepared for the toilet.

Daily Echo:

They are also being dangerously lifted by carers, having to sit in their bodily waste, restricting fluids or not going out at all.

She said: “Toilets are not glamorous. We shy away from talking about pee, poo and periods, so as Changing Places campaigners we have to go to extreme lengths to get our cause noticed.

“We will all be sitting with our pants around our ankles, to try to get the full attention this human rights issue deserves.

“It might seem undignified and embarrassing and perhaps even outrageous, but how we will feel sat in public like this, is nothing compared to how a disabled person feels when they have to lie on a urine-soaked toilet floor.”

Sarah, from Brockenhurst, has been campaigning for Changing Places to be installed in more public buildings for the past four and a half years and vows to continue until they are commonplace.

She said the campaign has seen improvement, with accessible toilets now installed in Ikea, Southampton Football Club, and Mayflower Theatre.

Councillor Satvir Kaur, cabinet member for homes and culture said: “While we already have accessible toilets in all our cultural public venues for visitors, we established with Sarah that these facilities were not ideal for the needs of her son prior to him visiting SeaCity Museum on a school trip.

“Sarah has done an incredible job in getting these facilities into other venues in the city and we would love to work with her to get one into SeaCity Museum so we can comfortably accommodate visitors with a wider range of disabilities and needs.”