Physical Impairment Ireland - PII

29/04/2026

Need help making your home more accessible? 🏡♿

If you have a physical, sensory, mental health, or intellectual disability, you might qualify for the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability.

The grant can help pay for home adaptations, such as:

✔️ Ramps or easier access to your home
✔️ Widening doors or spaces for wheelchair access
✔️ Downstairs bedroom extensions
✔️ Accessible bathrooms or showers
✔️ Stairlifts or through-floor lifts
✔️ Grab rails
✔️ Ceiling or wall-mounted track hoists

You can get up to €40,000 (or 100% of the cost of the work, whichever is less). But, the amount you get depends on your household income.

You may qualify if:

✔️ Your household income is less than €75,000
✔️ You or someone in your home has a disability
✔️ The home is your main residence
✔️ You own the home, or you rent from a private landlord (or an approved housing body) and you have their permission.

Social housing tenants can’t apply for this grant.

To apply:

📝 Fill in the application form from your local authority. A doctor must sign part of it.
📝 Include documents such as proof of household income, proof that your Local Property Tax is paid, landlord permission (if renting), Occupational therapist report (for major works)
📝 Send the application form to your local authority

Do not start work until your grant is approved, or the grant will not be paid. ⚠️

23/04/2026

23/04/2026

We would be delighted to register your Changing Places Toilet on our Website and Google Maps. Registration is currently free of charge and offers several key benefits. It ensures your facility is included on a centralised, accessible map used by people who rely on these services, while also supporting promotion through national awareness campaigns and social media. Having complete and accurate information available greatly improves the ability of users and their families to plan journeys and participate more fully in community life.

The National Disability Authority also recommends that all Changing Places Toilets be registered and they highlight this importance in their guidelines published June 2024. You can
contact us for a registration form at changingplacesireland@gmail.com We ask that when pictures of the facility are being taken, can you include each piece of equipment in the room and an overall picture from the doorway. The outside pics should include the door access and instructions on access. A 30 second video is also helpful providing you don't capture any individuals in the video. We find a video is beneficial to both the end user and provides great traction on our social media platforms.

Changing Places Toilets are ideally provided as unlocked facilities to ensure the easiest and most inclusive access for users. However, we acknowledge that in some locations this may not be possible. In such cases, the use of RADAR key system is the preferred alternative, as it provides a standardised, cross-county solution, allowing consistent and straightforward access. RADAR keys are also widely used in neighbouring countries, making access easier for visitors to Ireland who are already familiar with the system and they are readily available from recognised suppliers.

Upon completion of registration, the Changing Places Ireland logo will be issued, which can be used for facility signage and helps clearly identify and promote the availability of these toilets to the public.

Taking these steps supports a more inclusive, user-friendly approach to accessibility and ensures that facilities provided are as effective and usable as possible.

Thank you for your continued work in improving accessiblity. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require any further information.



ID: A clean, professional poster promoting the registration of Changing Places Toilets, featuring the accessibility logo, bold blue and green text, and a clear call to action directing users to changingplaces.ie so facilities can be added to the website and Google Maps.

15/04/2026

Please note...

⚠️ If you give false or misleading information when you apply for or renew a Disabled Person's Parking Permit, you could be:

💶 Fined up to €2,500
💶 Put in prison for up to 6 months

🚗 If you park in a disabled parking space without a valid permit, you can be fined €150. This increases to €225 if not paid within 28 days.

🚙 You can be fined €200 for misusing a disabled person's parking permit. This increases to €300 if you don’t pay within 28 days.

12/04/2026

Midlands Regional Hospital, PORTLAOISE could benefit from a Changing Places Ireland facility

Who will be the next hospital to step up?

With St James’s Hospital recently opening Ireland’s first acute adult hospital Changing Places facility, the bar has been set — and it’s time for others to follow. 

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda opened their Changing Places Toilet last week so we are on a roll!

Every hospital should provide a Changing Places Toilet. Dignity, safety and access to healthcare should never depend on facilities.

Tag your local hospital below 👇

Let’s make sure every patient, visitor and staff member has the support they need.




ID: Bright, spacious Changing Places toilet with ceiling-track hoist, height-adjustable adult-sized bench, peninsular accessible toilet and hi-lo sink, grab rails, and full turning space for a large power chair and room for two carers — with the Changing Places Ireland logo shown bottom right.

09/04/2026

A Changing Places toilet is a fully accessible bathroom designed for people with complex disabilities who cannot use standard accessible toilets safely or with dignity.

They go far beyond typical wheelchair-accessible toilets and are essential for many people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries, or conditions requiring full support.

⸻

🧩 What makes a Changing Places toilet different?

Standard accessible toilets usually:
• Are too small
• Don’t have the right equipment
• Force people to be changed on the floor (which is unsafe and undignified)

Changing Places toilets are designed to solve these problems.

⸻

🛠️ Key features

1. Height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench
• Allows safe changing for older children, teens, and adults
• Prevents people from being changed on the floor

2. Ceiling track hoist system
• Helps lift and transfer a person safely from wheelchair to bench or toilet
• Reduces risk of injury for both the person and carers

3. Extra space
• Large enough for:
• The person using the facility
• One or two carers
• Mobility equipment (wheelchairs, hoists, etc.)

4. Peninsular toilet
• Positioned away from the wall
• Allows carers to assist from both sides

5. Privacy screen or curtain
• Ensures dignity during personal care

6. Accessible sink (washbasin)
• Height-adjustable or reachable from different positions

7. Non-slip flooring & wide door access
• Designed for safety and easy movement

8. Emergency alarm system
• Can be reached from the floor in case of a fall

⸻

❤️ Why they matter

Without Changing Places toilets:
• Families often have to cut outings short
• People may be changed in unsuitable places (cars, floors, public spaces)
• Many simply can’t leave home for long periods

With them:
• People can participate in everyday life
• Families can travel, shop, attend events, and access healthcare
• It promotes dignity, inclusion, and equality

⸻

📍 Where you’ll find them

They are increasingly being installed in:
• Hospitals
• Shopping centres
• Airports
• Sports stadiums
• Tourist attractions
• Public parks and beaches

In Ireland, more are being added thanks to advocacy and growing awareness.

⸻

🧠 In simple terms

A Changing Places toilet is:

A safe, dignified, and fully equipped space that allows people with complex needs to be changed and use the toilet properly—just like everyone else deserves.



ID: Below is an image of an excellent example of a Changing Places Toilet. It is fully equipped with all the specialist equipment needed. It has a ceiling-track hoist, an adult-sized changing bench, a centrally-located toilet bowl, a privacy screen, a hi-lo sink, plenty of room for a large power chair to turn and two carers to assist. It also has non-slip floors and a wide doorway. This one also has a shower. The back wall is painted a bright green and otherwise it’s grey and white with good lighting.

09/04/2026

A Changing Places Toilet is an accessible sanitary facility with a toilet, hoist, washbasin, adult-sized changing bench and optional shower with adequate space for use by persons with a range of di…

03/04/2026

STOLEN CURRACH – BANAGHER

A traditional currach has been stolen in the Banagher area.

Description:
Grey hull (outside)
Green interior
Timber frame and seating

This is a distinctive, traditional boat and would be easily recognised.

We’re asking anyone who:
Has seen this currach
Noticed suspicious activity near the river
Has been offered a similar boat for sale

👉 Please contact Birr Garda Station or any Garda station 057-9169710
📞 Garda Confidential Line: 1800 666 111

🔁 Please share — let’s get this back to its owner.

03/04/2026

03/04/2026

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP for Ireland South is showing her support for the over 860,000 living in Ireland with a neurological condition, and is bringing politi...

03/04/2026

This Good Friday, we pause and reflect.

Let’s remember dignity and access matter every single day.

Because needing a toilet doesn’t take a day off.

So let’s be GOOD this Friday and let’s raise awareness of Changing Places Toilets.
Toilets are necessary for us all. Because we all gotta go!

26/03/2026

Hear, hear!

Good morning to all our followers ☀️

We need your support. Please help us advocate for Changing Places toilets in your local community by asking businesses and venues to install them.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Let’s make accessibility a priority in:

• Shopping centres
• Hotels
• Hospitals
• Swimming pools
• Cinemas
• Sports grounds
• Concert venues
• Parks & beaches

Together, we can create communities that are inclusive for everyone 💙