October 23 marked a special day for those living with disability in Gosford, with the official launch of the Better Access Map App, a new app and website package designed to make getting around the city less stressful.
The project, run by St Vincent De Paul Society’s Ability Links program, aims to take the guesswork out of going out by providing easy to use information on physical, hearing, visual and sensory access needs.
A key feature of the app is the Access At A Glance symbols.
A set of 15 symbols that relate to a range of accessibility requirements including accessible toilets, braille menu’s and sensory friendly spaces.
This feature enables users of the website or app to select businesses and organisations that meet their access needs.
Former Paralympic athlete and Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said that she was excited to have such a fantastic resource in the Gosford region. “As a wheelchair user, knowing that I can easily plan using an app to find out about access and getting around the community and also find out which businesses will welcome me is just magic, ” Tesch said.
The feedback from testers of the app has been overwhelmingly positive, and the initiative has already contributed to a growing awareness of accessibility needs in the business community. Adam Worthington, President of Voices for Central Coast Disability, got an exclusive first look at the app in the week prior to its launch.
“It’s a project that I think is going to benefit a whole range of people, not just people with a disability. “It’s a really great step in the right direction to allowing people access to the community, ” he said.
Interested parties can download the Better Access Map app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. (links provided to third party sites as a community service)
Source: Media release, Oct 23 Kieran Bird, Ability Links