Europe needs to become more accessible. Too often, buildings and ways cannot be easily reached and passed by everyone. This does not only concern wheelchair users but also elderly people with walking aids, parents with pushchairs, or anyone whose walking ability is permanently or temporarily limited. This applies to many millions of people in Europe.
MyAccessible.EU is a three year research project funded by the European Commission. It aims to make cities’ built environment more accessible for disabled and older people by challenging social attitudes, raising awareness and delivering assistive mobile applications. These mobile applications will provide tools for collectively gathering and sharing information about accessibility of public spaces.
With a diverse range of partners from across Europe, the project brings together disability activists, software developers, social innovators, project coordinators, community mapping experts, accessible tourism advocates and experts on the needs of senior citizens. Based over four pilot sites (Heidelberg, Vienna, Elche and London), and with partners in several other European locations, MyAccessible.EU is well-placed to achieve significant outcomes for accessibility across Europe.
Our Role
Mapping for Change are responsible for the London pilot site. Our work involves engaging with community and end user groups, identifying major accessibility issues, collaborating with relevant secondary stakeholder groups, and organising awareness raising activities.
We will also be working with disabled and older people to test online and mobile applications developed in the project, to ensure that the project’s technical outputs are user-friendly and beneficial to the groups who will be using them.
My Transport Stories
A lack of accessible public transport is a major barrier to many people’s independent mobility. From the groups MfC have engaged, the vast majority reported a range of problems including poor physical access to vehicles, a lack of staff awareness, and negative attitudinal experiences from transport staff and fellow passengers.
To address this, and provide a platform for people to report these issues, we developed a Transport Stories Community Map. You can use the map to report any kind of accessibility issue faced when using public transport, anywhere in the UK. We will share your feedback with the relevant transport providers.
As part of the project, a number of tools aiming at improving accessibility for people with reduced mobility have been developed. All of these are freely available and can be accessed on the MyAccesible.EU Tools page.
Related Projects
Ramp It Up!
‘Ramp It Up’ was a social media campaign aiming to increase awareness about the barriers people with limited mobility face on a daily basis. We called on communities to help their towns and cities become more wheelchair friendly by encouraging shops, restaurants or any building open to the public to use portable wheelchair ramps if more permanent solutions cannot be made.
InSPIRES
InSPIRES is a EU-funded project which aims to address the information gap that vulnerable demographics can hold about the impact that air pollution has on their health. Mapping for Change works with a school in London, whereby parents and pupils will have the opportunity to monitor particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide pollution levels in and around their homes.
Mapping the Pathway to Equalities
There are around 30,000 Gypsies and Travellers in London. Their culture and traditions have developed through a nomadic way of life over centuries. However, across the country the community face an uncertain future. With some of the poorest social outcomes of any group in Britain the burgeoning cuts to public services will have a disproportionate effect on the community.