Accessibility Services

I frequently receive information from my colleagues about interesting articles or events related to accessibility. For example, a few days ago a fellow librarian pointed out a recent story in the Globe and Mail about Planat – a new website developed by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Look up a venue on this site and you will see reviews of its accessibility, whether it be a restaurant, shop, accommodation or attraction. Reviews are for locations around the world.

Rating criteria include:                

• Entrance
• Venue Pathway
• Main Function
• Washrooms
• Customer Service

You can choose to see reviews from a sight, mobility or hearing perspective, and you can filter by name of the venue, location, type and minimum rating. Planat currently lists over 17,000 locations.

Once you are registered, you can also post a review yourself. If you own or operate a venue, you can post the accessibility features of your location.

According to the website, reviews can be made and accessed through a desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry Torch and devices using Android 2.2 or above on the Opera Mobile browser.

Have a look at this interesting tool. Let us know what you think of it!

Look for more information on the Rick Hansen Foundation in future posts.

Also, you may want to have a look at the book Access Anything: I Can Do That!. It includes disability travel information and tips for travel by airplane, rental car, charter bus, cruise ship and plane.

Enjoy your trip!