 We know access information can be difficult to find, so you may be missing out on lots of things you could be doing, simply because you didn't know whether or not they were accessible. WheelEasy pools all this information in one easy to use mobile-friendly web app. We use icons which show each place’s category, and its position on a Google map, relative to yours. 

Our traffic light system shows a place on our map as green (accessible), yellow (partially accessible), or red (inaccessible). These are measured by certain criteria which are shown on the individual place page.

Each individual place page has basic contact information, a description and photos left by the person adding the place, and also a review section, where you can leave your assessment of the usefulness of the information. Our aim is for WheelEasy to be a place where people with mobility needs can leave feedback on often difficult-to-come-by access information, and how welcoming the place they're visiting is, together with what the experience was like generally.

The information on our web app is only there because people like you have shared what they find out about access (see the next tile). 

Also, you will notice in your menu a leaderboard. This is where members can accumulate points every time they add new information. You can favourite a place, if you want to keep it for future reference, or share it with someone else if you feel they would find it helpful, or when you're adding a place, you can save it to drafts to do later. There’s also near the bottom, an access widget; this allows you to adjust your view, depending on the level of accessibility you require.

 …an overview

How to use the web app 

You can search intuitively for a specific place or area, or any thing to do, by typing what you want to do or where you want to go in the homepage search bar. 

Your initial search will deliver results which match what we think you are looking for, within a specific radius. This is results for accessible parking in Bondi (each icon on the map is linked to the specific place in the list).

On mobiles, you can switch between list and map view: 

If you want to do a more sophisticated search, you can do this on the search results page, where you will see filters for distance from location, category, and level of accessibility.

  …for places and things to do 

How to search

 The information on our web app is only there because people like you have shared everything they find out about access. Whilst our priority is, naturally, recording accessible places, because it's often as important to know where you can't go as much as where you can, we welcome information on partially accessible and inaccessible  places. These most definitely should appear on our map. You add by clicking the Add button (or the + sign if you're on a mobile) and entering the ‘add place flow’.

With over 20 different categories of places, ranging from beaches to parking locations to cinemas, there are many different types of access information to consider.

For example, the gradient of a beach will be essential to know, whereas at the cinema, the number of access seats and view from those seats are important. So we've made it easy by creating individual 60 to 90 second films that appear in the flow when you’re adding a place in any particular category. See the next tile about adding photos and writing descriptions.

As well as adding new places to the map, it's also important to ensure that what is already on the map is up-to-date. And because people don't always have the time to write a complete thorough submission, you can leave your submission until later by putting it in your drafts folder. See this, about how to add and update places.

When you have added a place, your submission gets reviewed by our moderators, all of whom have experience of mobility needs, before appearing on the map.

In your menu, you will notice a leaderboard. This is where members accumulate points every time they add new information. When you've registered, your position on the leaderboard, relative to everyone else is shown.

(If you'd like to add places regularly, you might like to register as one of our volunteers. Take a look at the tile on being a volunteer).

  …and update places

How to add

We think that one of WheelEasy’s strengths is the quality of the main photography. Good photos can make our platform so much more pleasant to use, so it would be great if the pictures you submit for each place look good too! Please try your best with every entry. Have a look at this video.

The quality of the photos is so much more important than just making the web app look nice. Because photos can sum up a situation so much more quickly and precisely than words alone, the quality and relevance of your photos will also make a difference to how helpful the entry is. 

Everyone with mobility needs differs, and consequently what they need from access may differ slightly. Added to this, some staff may not know the answer to specific queries.

For these reasons, we thought it was essential to build in the ability to add captions to your photos. A caption can make so much more sense of a photo, and be an opportunity to include really helpful info. 

When you are adding a place, there are different things to look for depending on what category you are dealing with. With over 20 different categories of places, ranging from beaches to parking locations to cinemas, there are many things to consider. For example, the gradient of a beach will be essential to know, whereas at the cinema, the number of access seats and view from that seat are important.

So we've made it easy by creating individual 60 to 90 second films that appear in the flow when you are adding a place in any particular category. Watch this film 

Here's the full list of "What to look for" films.

 ...and writing descriptions

Taking photos

WheelEasy is a web app – a website which behaves like an app; in other words, you'll find it on your web browser and not in your app store, and we’ve designed it so that it works just like an app. Just like an app, you can bookmark it on your phone’s homescreen so that it's always conveniently at hand when you need it. 

It's a hassle to have to go to the App store, find the app, and wait for it to download. So you don't have. It's available, free, on any web browser and an icon can be saved to the homescreen for immediate use, just like any app. Bookmarking it is easy. This video shows how to do it on an iPhone. 

It is slightly different on Android – this image shows you how.

...on your phone homescreen

Bookmark WheelEasy

 In our land of the 'fair go', you would think we all have a basic right of access. But many people are still isolated and excluded. They get stuck, give up, and stay in. And it's all their friends and family who get stuck too. Many of them can't lead the life together that lots of people take for granted.

For anyone with mobility needs, the biggest problem isn't just physical access, but a lack of access information. And it's not just for people in wheelchairs, but for anyone who has a problem getting around occasionally (people who use sticks, or walkers, or anyone with dodgy knees or a bad hip, even parents with prams).

So we built the WheelEasy Access Information web app. We launched it in Sydney and are now taking it Australia-wide. It's a sort of TripAdvisor for access. A one-stop-shop that brings together all access information into one place. 

Here's a short introductory video from Max and Justine, the founders.

Firstly, access information about individual places.

No more researching beforehand - it's designed for your mobile, so you can see what's nearby you, be spontaneous and change your mind, just like everyone else. Most importantly, it grows by crowdsourcing the information; asking everyone to share what they find out about access, creating a community of people who share access info.

Secondly, we’ve just added ideas about accessible things to do

Because finding things to do on days out, or longer trips, can often be like looking for a needle in a haystack, you’ll find here both free ideas, which mean you don't stay home unless you want to, and Accessible Experiences that you pay for. And because many people with access needs have their own list of favourite things to do, you can also suggest things to do, and we will put them on the app so that others can enjoy them too.

There are several ways you can be part of our movement to create a more inclusive Australia. 

Most importantly, it will be a great help if you add individual places from time to time, as you go about daily life, and by making suggestions about accessible things to do. But if you'd like to get slightly more involved, please click on the "Getting involved" tile.

...for a more inclusive Australia

Join our movement 

We’re recruiting people to join our nationwide movement to help make Australia more accessible for everyone.

We’re asking people like you to give some of your time to help us update and add new places onto the WheelEasy map. Your contribution means people will have the latest accessibility info and more places to choose from when they want to head out with family or friends.

Find out more

...we love volunteers

Interested in volunteering?

Beyond adding places to our map every now and then, there are four main ways in which you can get involved with helping us make Australia a more inclusive country which we can all be proud off.

1. If you want to help out adding and updating places on a more regular basis, you might consider joining Team WheelEasy as a volunteer. Our aim is to map every place in every corner of Australia. Register as a volunteer on the web app to help us in our quest to bring helpful access information to everyone who needs it.

2. With volunteers across the country, we need to find WheelEasy Ambassadors to coordinate the volunteers in their local areas. As an Ambassador will work with you to arrive at the particular areas we want to focus on next, and direct volunteers to add info in those areas.

3. All the information and photos that people submit needs to be moderated. We ask people  who have experience of mobility needs to do this; people who really understand what others will find helpful. We want to hear from you if you have a problem getting around, or spend time with someone who does.

4. The fourth way in which you could get involved with WheelEasy is with the look of the web app. The quality of our main photography and the design of the app means it stands out. We’ve got this far on our own, but as we grow to cover all of Australia we need help. So we’re also putting a callout to really good photographers and designers.

...there are four main ways

Getting involved

Creating WheelEasy has been a real labour of love; taking much time, dedication, and effort from many different people. 

After the idea was conceived in 2018, it couldn't have got to the stage it is at now, without the generous support, both financial and in terms of time, from all of these organisations. And, not forgetting, from our ambassadors too, and from all the people who have come to our events. Most importantly from all those people with all sorts of different mobility needs, and their companions, who believe in what we are doing.

...a big thank you to them all

Our supporters 

We need your help to keep WheelEasy free for everyone to use and ad-free! If you like what we’ve built so far, please support us. It’s a real labour of love (we don’t pay ourselves) and we’ve spent hundreds of hours getting this web app off the ground. We need your help to keep it going.

About WheelEasy