Last summer hundreds of people used the Access Facilities at Brighton Pride delivered by the volunteers of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum through their Accessibility Matters initiative.
Working in partnership with Brighton Pride, Accessibility Matters has made significant progress in ensuring the event is accessible to everyone.
A favourite facility of recent years has been the High Dependency Unit (HDU)
Many people are expected to use these facilities again this summer and LGBT+ people who otherwise would feel unable to access the event are now able to do so with confidence.
Billie Lewis, Chair of the LGBT Community Safety Forum, said: “The HDU provided by Mobiloo will play a significant role within the community area at Preston Park ensuring that those who need our support the most will get it. It will also change the way people access their Pride on the day. The facility at the Access Tent will draw different people together again this year. We have changed the provider of the HDU this year to ensure we offer the best service with recognition for value for money and sustainability.”
Why do we need Mobiloo?
Mobiloo is a new product to the market, offering a safe and clean changing and toilet facility to meet the needs of all disabled people (and their Carers or Personal Assistants), within a mobile van.
Most disabled people want to live life no differently from anyone else. They want to be able to go shopping, enjoy the countryside, go out to eat, work, and enjoy life, but they live in a world designed primarily for people without physical impairments.
For many disabled people adequate toilet facilities are an important factor when planning a day out. If they cannot walk or stand, they may still be unable to use even the standard specialist accessible toilets that are sometimes provided. They may need support from one or two carers or personal assistants to use the toilet or to have their incontinence pad changed. Standard specialist accessible toilets rarely provide changing tables or hoists.
The absence of appropriate facilities can impact on whole families. Social activities and days out have to be planned down to the smallest detail to fit around a stop at suitable changing facilities or to get back home after only a few hours. The most intrepid may have ventured out to festivals or camping trips – but then often have to find a discreet area in a field or a dirty toilet floor instead of the dignified facilities we should all be entitled to.
Mobiloo recognises this gap in provision for disabled people. Its unique, mobile facility offers the right of access to the more rural locations, festivals, activities and events across the UK.
Accessibility Matters are currently working with Brighton Pride to ensure more accessible toilets are available across the Festival Park.
For Access questions, you can email access@lgbt-help.com. Please note that these contact details are for access issues regarding facilities for the deaf, blind, disabled and older Pride attendees only.
Other Pride related info such as stalls/vendors, road closures, act line ups and bus information cannot be answered here.
For all other pride related info visit here or email info@brighton-pride.org
To register for the Accessibility Matters Pride Access Plan please visit lgbt-help.com
For Access Tickets for the Brighton Pride Festival, on Saturday August 5, 2017, click here: