A new App, AccessAble, has officially launched into the Apple and Google Play Stores. Developed by a national disability organisation, it aims to transform the quality and availability of accessibility information.

Speaking about the need for the App Disability Blogger, Lucy Wood said, “The word ‘Day Trip’ has always made me anxious and when I go out it can feel like a military operation. It’s vital to do loads of research in advance; I don’t feel I can bespontaneous , when I have to trawl through websites to find accessibility information.

For Disabled People, finding the practical stuff is vital – can I get in, can I use the toilet! Very few venues have this much detail online, this is why the AccessAble App is so exciting. Being able to get the level of detailed information that I need on an app in my pocket, knowing I can trust it, means I can get this information quickly and takes away the need to plan. It is a revolutionary step forward for disabled people in the UK, and I can’t wait to go on my next adventure!”

The App provides Detailed Access Guides to 10,000s of places across the UK and Ireland. These Guides aren’t personal reviews, but step by step descriptions of what accessibility is like at a particular place – they are 100% facts, figures and photographs. Crucially each Guide is created having been visited by an AccessAble Surveyor, who can collect over 1,000 piece of information for just one venue. The type of information collected is all driven by AccessAble’s 35,000 strong user community.

Speaking about the App Anna Nelson, Executive Director of AccessAble said, “This App is all about getting detailed, reliable information to the 20 million+ people in the UK with accessibility requirements. We want people to be able to use the App while they are out, filtering by the accessibility requirements that are important, to find the places that work for them.

Growing up as a carer I spent hours ringing up and asking about accessibility, nothing was spontaneous and we were nearly always disappointed when we arrived. This App is a practical solution to that very real problem”.

The need for the App has been further highlighted by the Accessibility and You Survey. Of 845 respondents 99% said they wanted to know about accessibility before visiting a new place and 98% searched for accessibility information in advance. Of those who found information only 14% got the information they needed and 80% said the information they found was inaccurate.

The App is available free for IoS and Android; users can create a profile, save their favourites and set their own preferences using AccessAble’s Accessibility Symbols.

Giveaway

We have a £50 iTunes/Google Play gift card to give away to one lucky winner. To enter, simply download the AccessAble App, leave a review in the app store and email hello@AccessAble.co.uk with your iTunes or Google Play username. Closes at midnight on 28 th February. Winner will be randomly selected.

AccessAble – What We Do

AccessAble, originally called DisabledGo, is a national disability organisation. We are the UK’s Accessibility Guide and we are here to take the chance out of going out. We cover 10,000s of places and our Guides are available free at www.AccessAble.co.uk and on the AccessAble App.

AccessAble – Our History

AccessAble was set up in 2000 by Dr. Gregory Burke as a result of his own
experiences as a wheelchair user and disabled walker. Gregory was frustrated to find that the best-case scenario when he looked for accessibility information was a few unhelpful words that only resulted in more uncertainty. Working alongside over 100 different disability groups Gregory launched DisabledGo’s first website in 2002. Since then the organisation has grown and developed, continually meeting and listening to its user community.

By 2018 DisabledGo was used by over 1.5 million people each year to plan a visit or trip out. Thousands of people continued to shape the service getting involved in DisabledGo’s engagement events and social media channels.

In June 2018 we began to build our new website and IOS and Android Apps. These launched in October 2018 alongside the new AccessAble Brand.

The Survey

845 people responded to the ‘Accessibility and You’ survey. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive accessibility surveys in recent years. The survey was carried out in the summer of 2018 and took on average 20 minutes to complete. You can see the full results here https://www.accessable.co.uk/articles/new-survey-highlights-major-accessibility-gap-for-uk-s-20-million-disabled-people-and-carers