The AccessAble App is a handy tool for disabled people when out and about. More than 70,000 Detailed Access Guides for public places and venues across the UK, including pubs & restaurants, shopping centres, parks, tourist attractions, hospitals and much more.

The great thing about the AccessAble App is that it can be accessed on any smartphone or tablet and can be used on the go. Plus, it is compatible with a majority of accessibility features. So, those who have limited mobility, dexterity issues, sight loss or learning difficulties – such as dyslexia - can browse the App independently.

AccessAble Champion Emma Purcell has reviewed the AccessAble App and lists five of the most useful accessibility features to use when browsing the App on iOS and Android devices.

VoiceOver/TalkBack

VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) is a built-in screen reader, which reads aloud everything on the screen for blind or visually impaired people. When you put your finger on a specific option in the App, it will be spoken aloud before selecting it.

To select the item, you have to double-tap the item, which will then open the next page. If double taps are difficult for you, there may be an option in your accessibility settings on your device to change the number of taps for different commands.

The VoiceOver/TalkBack function will also read aloud all the information in the access guide you choose to read. This can help people with sight loss and dyslexia.

When the Talkback feature is enabled in android,  from the Accessibility menu (Settings –> Accessibility), it provides spoken feedback so that you can use your device without looking at the screen. This feature is excellent for users who are blind or partially sighted. This feature along with a range of others designed for accessibility is available as an app named 'Accessibility Suite' Google Play Store.  

Zoom

A zoom is a magnification tool that zooms in on text and images to make it easier for visually impaired people to see the App. You can easily navigate the entire AccessAble App with the Zoom function, view all menu options, read access guide information, and see the photographs of the venues.

IOS Zoom 

Andriod Zoom 

Large Text

As you would guess, large text enlarges text on a screen to make it easier to read the text for people with visual impairments.

It should automatically appear when you open the AccessAble App if you already have Large Text enabled in your accessibility features on your device.

Large Text IOS 

Colour Invert

Some people with visual impairments or reading difficulties such as dyslexia prefer to read in different colour contrasts. A feature called colour invert can change the screen to different colours, such as white text on a black background or use colour filters to enhance certain options.

To turn this feature on and off in Android,  open your accessibility options in your device and select colour inversion.

Dictation

Dictation is a speech recognition tool that allows you to speak aloud what you want to type without using the keyboard. This feature benefits a wide range of disabilities and impairments, including dexterity issues, sight loss and dyslexia.

In the AccessAble App, there is a search bar in which you can type in a location, type of venue or any other keyword. When you tap into the search box, a keyboard will appear, and you can tap the microphone icon next to the spacebar and start speaking.  This feature is also available on Android device keyboards.

So, as you can see, not only does the AccessAble App provide accessibility information, but it is also fully accessible to disabled people who benefit from it when going out and travelling.

You can download the AccessAble App on iOS & Android devices.

Where Next?

Read More: How do I use AccessAble?

Read More: Using AccessAble as a deaf person

Read More: Tackling arrival anxiety with AccessAble