Introducing Sociability
Socialising is a huge part of a person’s life. It can give us energy, purpose and a strong sense of belonging and community. But what if you were constantly coming up against barriers when even trying to think about socialising? What if you were constantly wondering whether you could get into the café, or use the toilet in the restaurant, or be the reason that everyone’s plans get changed at the last minute?
For 16 million disabled people living in the UK, this is — unfortunately — a daily reality. Whether it’s planning a birthday meal, a quick catch-up for coffee with a friend or a beer down at the local — knowing the accessibility of a venue beforehand is crucial to giving disabled people the confidence and peace of mind to explore the world around them.
Yet, what can seem like a pretty straightforward process for non-disabled people is too often a tedious, unwieldy task for disabled people. Finding detailed, reliable and accurate accessibility information is often impossible — it either doesn’t exist online, or — when it does — it’s too vague or outdated.
For disabled people — the stress and anxiety of not knowing means that they, too often, don’t go. They’re not represented in the places and spaces that they should be. And they’re unable to pursue opportunities and activities like they deserve to.
And that’s why we’re here.
What is Sociability?
Sociability is a mobile app designed to help disabled people find accessible places. We’re on a mission to organise the world’s accessibility information to remove barriers to opportunity for disabled people everywhere. We recognise the daily barriers faced by disabled people, because we’re a disabled-led and disabled-friendly organisation ourselves.
In a world built without accessibility in mind, knowledge is power. One day, we hope that every venue is accessible to everyone — but we know that’s going to take a while and we’re in a rush. At Sociability, we’re giving back choice to disabled people. We’re empowering them to quickly and easily find accessible places that they want to go to today, tomorrow and the next day; equipping them to go out and do the things they want to, with the people they love, with confidence and peace of mind.
What do we see for the future of Sociability?
We’ve already mapped more than 8,000 venues across the UK — including more than 4,000 across central London. We’re collecting data on all aspects of accessibility — from the physical to visual, hearing and sensory aspects too.
Alongside our app, we’re also building a community of like-minded people. We run regular Mapping Days and meet-ups with users and the wider disabled community across the country and, in doing so, we’re building a space for all disabled people to ask questions, share wisdom and meet others from all walks of life.
Ultimately, we’re building a community tool for a community to use. Why not download the app today and start searching for, contributing to and sharing accessible places with your friends and family. Together, we can make the world a more inclusive, welcoming and accessible place to all.
Are you a disabled person who would like to find a community to connect with? Or know someone who may find Sociability useful to plan their days or nights out? Be sure to download Sociability and connect with us and social media (find the links on the end of our website)!
