The Instagram page making it easier to find accessible venues

For people with disability or those with mobility challenges, accessing venues such as cafes, restaurants and attractions can be good in theory, but the reality can be very different once they arrive.

While some cafes may promote being an accessible venue, they may in fact have a step at the front door, with no ramp available for a wheelchair to get in. Others may have an accessible toilet, but use it as a store room, meaning there is limited space to manoeuvre a wheelchair or mobility scooter.

It is these types of access challenges that motivated Ash Dolby to create her Instagram page, Access with Ash, so that people with disability can confidently visit a venue, knowing that it is fully accessible, from the front door, right through to the accessible bathroom and everything in between. And if it’s not, they can at least make an informed decision to visit or not.

“Access with Ash is currently an Instagram page that reviews accessible cafes, restaurants and attractions in Melbourne for those with access needs. I’ve been doing the research myself and I thought why not share that information with other people that need it”. Ash explains.

Ash says shoe would love for Access with Ash to be developed into an App one day, so people that can filter by cafe or restaurant or whatever suburbs they want to go to.

“If any anyone wants to help me make an App, It’s something that I would have liked to use and I guess still would like to use, so I know there’s probably more people out there that would find it helpful.”

To check out the growing list of venues that Ash has reviewed so far, go to instagram.com/accesswithash