Stanmore College in Middlesex has opened a new hygiene room, allowing it to fulfil the requirements of a specific disabled student who wanted to join the facility, and ‘open its doors’ to enable more less able young people to benefit from its vocational and academic provision.
Supplied and installed by Clos-o-Mat, on the ground floor of the College’s main reception building by the learning resource centre, the hygiene room delivers more space than a conventional wheelchair-accessible toilet, and additional equipment. The room includes a changing bench, height-adjustable washbasin, hoist and Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita automatic wash and dry toilet with touch-sensitive operating switch. Whilst looking like and capable of being used as a conventional toilet, the Palma Vita has in-built douching and drying. The need to use toilet tissue is eliminated, improving the user’s independence and hygiene, and ensuring a consistent, high level of cleanliness.
“A disabled student wanted to join the College this academic year, and she had very specific needs regarding toileting and changing facilities. We wanted to do our best to accommodate the needs of this student, and in the process improve the accessibility for any future students with similar disabilities,” explained College facilities manager James Mace.
“The College has several other ‘accessible’ toilets throughout the site, but they are all designed to conform with the bare minimum of regulations. Including a Palma Vita wash and dry toilet in place of a conventional WC and a height adjustable basin we saw as a better and more forward-thinking choice, in future-proofing the facility for any additional users, and giving them some extra independence.”
Clos-o-Mat is now Britain’s leading supplier and installer of hygiene rooms in educational establishments, and their counterpart Changing Places facilities for venues to which the public have access. The company is also unique in offering in-house, comprehensive design advice, supply, install, commissioning, project management and after-sales service & maintenance. That service is backed-up by a raft of additional technical support, encompassing white papers on accessible school toilet and hygiene room provision, 2D and 3D CAD drawings, videos and case studies, all of which can be accessed free of charge from Clos-o-Mat’s website www.clos-o-mat.com.
