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WE HAVE introduced a RoomMate® to our accessible toilet to ensure independence to its visitors who live with sight loss.

Wellington Square has teamed with easyAccessibility Ltd to install a wall-mounted device which offers a bespoke audio description when using the accessible toilet.

Chantal Taylor, Marketing Manager at Wellington Square, first contacted easyAccesibility after coming across it at a local train station and wanted to implement it at the shopping centre to add to their fully-inclusive status.

Chantal said: “As the heat of the community we are always looking for new ways to help benefit our shoppers. We want everyone who visits Wellington Square to have a welcoming experience and the addition of RoomMate® will allow our blind and visually impaired shoppers to take a break independently.”

The RoomMate® is located on the wall of the accessible toilet and offers assistance to everyone who enters. If audio guidance is needed, a brief gesture over the device starts a narration detailing the layout of the room: “The toilet is positioned on the wall directly in front of you” and “Toilet tissue can be found on the wall to your left.”

“Nobody wants to stress about finding suitable toilets while they’re out and about. Now, those with sight loss, dementia, or learning disabilities can easily pop into Wellington Square without any worries” added Chantal.

Sarah White, Managing Director of easyAccessibility, said: “I am hugely proud that Wellington Square has chosen to add RoomMate® to the shopping centre.

“RoomMate® was born because of the challenges faced by my Mum, Helen and Stepfather, Steve, who is blind. When out and about there was no way for Steve to be able to use the accessible toilets independently or with dignity. My Mum, an experienced mobility and orientation specialist, realised this needed to change, and together they developed RoomMate®.

“By installing a RoomMate® unit to Wellington Square Shopping Centre’s accessibility toilet, their fully inclusive facilities now include and enhance the dignity and independence of visually impaired visitors.”

Sarah adds: “This is the second Shopping Centre to install RoomMate® and the first in The North of England.”

 To date, over 100 RoomMates® have been fitted across the country and locations including Westminster Palace, airports including Heathrow, Birmingham & Manchester, a number of NHS hospital Trusts, visitor attractions and Travel hubs.