Access Earth: travel app for wheelchair travelers
Before the next trip, Matt McCann chose the hotel on the Internet and booked the room. Exactly as most travelers on the planet do (for example, as far back as 2015, the hotel booking service Booking.com stated that the number of people who had made a reservation on the website since its launching exceeded one billion). But unlike the overwhelming majority, for Matt McCann, who lives with cerebral palsy, one of the important reasons for choosing was the accessibility of the hotel for people with reduced mobility.
Upon arrival, Matt found that the accessibility declared by the hotel does not correspond to the actual one - there were steps in front of the building that neither he nor his wheelchair could not overcome, and the room itself was too small to use. Having experienced disappointment between promises on the Internet and reality, Matt McCann decided to launch his own service about accessibility for people with access needs, in which people with disabilities can rate barrier-free restaurants, hotels, attractions and share their experiences from visiting different places on the planet.
The platform he created, called Access Earth, combines a website and a mobile application for smartphones (Android and iOS). The principle of operation of Access Earth is simple: after downloading, the application asks the user to answer several questions about his location and accessibility requirements (for example, if he needs a wheelchair or crutches; is he a disabled traveler or accompanying person). In the future, answering simple questions about the accessibility of those places where he visited, the traveler participates in the compilation of a reliable accessibility map, which helps other tourists to find suitable objects. Tourists can also give their rates of hotels, cafes and attractions in different countries or in their city.
In the future, with Access Earth, users will be able to book accessible hotels or restaurants directly from the app, as well as contact the desired object by phone and clarify information.
Watch Matt McCann and Access Earth story (in English):