Get up, Get out... and Get Living It! - Website to be Launched for better Accessibility

By Lidia Garcia Fernandez

Get Living It is a website that has been designed to address the problems faced by many individuals and families that live with a disability or impairment. If they or one of their party has a disability, will the venue be accessible to them? Will it be equipped adequately for their disability? And if their website claims to be accessible, that doesn’t always help reassure people that their specific needs will be met. After all disabilities are very varied in their nature.

 

So exactly what is it?

 

The Get Living It website will enable users to enjoy the spontaneity of trying different venues and attractions around the UK. Users will also be able to plan trips days, weeks or even months in advance with the trip planner and calendar tools which also take into consideration the weather forecast among other things.

 

Users can register for free on the GLI website where they can create a profile to input their specific criteria. This information is then securely saved so that the user does not have to input their requirements more than once, however they can be edited at any time. There will be options to search for either venue type, area or both. Search results can even be saved or dropped into the calendar or trip planner.

 

But who is it for?

 

The GLI website was created for people living with physical disabilities, sensory disorders, and mobility, hearing and visual impairments. However it is not exclusive as it will also benefit parents searching for baby change facilities and everyone else who would like to plan a visit to UK attractions.

 

The website will also have a forum so that users can create topics and have discussions with like-minded people. This may be to ask fellow users for advice or just to interact socially and make new friends. So this forum, which will be closely monitored by the team, is another tool for people to interact and communicate with each other in a new way to help give individuals new levels of independence.

 

What if there are various disabilities in one group?

 

Users can also create multiple profiles for families or groups. If for instance an elderly relative with mobility impairment is planning on visiting Cardiff with her nephew who has a sensory disorder. The profile can include criteria for both so that the results returned show attractions in Cardiff that can facilitate people with their specific requirements.

 

Users can rate each venue or attraction and leave feedback that will benefit other users or even add a venue that is not already listed on the website. In this way, everyone can benefit from these services: Individuals with a disability and their families but also nursing homes, charities, groups, parents and people who just want to know what venues and attractions the UK have to offer in order to plan an outing will find Get Living It extremely useful.

 

Behind the running of it are Pauline and Trevor Clarke, mum and step dad to Josh who suffers with DMD. They know first-hand of the obstacles faced when trying to plan even a short outing away from home. There are many criteria that are not considered when a venue states that it is accessible, hence the decision to start GLI to make life easier for its users.

Other people who have contributed to make this project possible are Roger King as Operations Director, Kristy Griffiths as Social Media Director and Maggie McKernan as Systems Analyst.

 

In the words of Kristy Griffiths, “together, with our range of experiences and skill sets, we endeavor to make Get Living It a website like no other in terms of its functionality and usefulness. We are passionate about the website which is on track to be launched in August 2015 so that more people can Get up. Get out…and Get Living It”.

--------------------

Sign up to  post comments or start discussions!

--------------------

Like what you just read? Check out more discussions on bespoken...

Accessible furniture for the home

Being disabled during the Industrial Revolution

Brain-reading implant controls robotic arm

Views: 147

Reply to This

© 2024   Created by Gordon White.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service