When it comes to accessibility for plus size people, most of the world is still lagging behind. Many of us have stories about breaking restaurant chairs or not fitting into a booth. These are sad daily occurrences for bigger people. Portland, Oregon company AllGo wants to change that by creating an app that allows users to rate the comfort and accessibility of public spaces.
The platform, which launched a Kickstarter campaign today, wants to make it easier for people to find out if a restaurant, theater, gym or airline can accommodate them. You’ll be able to use AllGo to search for information and user reviews about a place before heading out, which saves time and can help avoid any potential issues once you’re there.
AllGo Co-Founder Rebecca Alexander
While apps like Yelp gives you an overall view (and review) of a public space, it can be very difficult to gauge whether that space can actually accommodate you. “I don’t have time to scroll through 1500 photos of ravioli just to figure out whether a restaurant’s chairs have arms,” says AllGo Co-Founder Rebecca Alexander.
AllGo Co-Founder Michele Amar
Though AllGo will initially cater to people of size, Rebecca says there are other groups of people the company wants to assist in the future. “We also know people of size have a wide variety of accessibility concerns depending on a huge number of factors including whether they use a mobility device, whether they travel frequently with kids, and what languages they speak.”
Photo: Michele Amar
When the Kickstarter campaign meets its goal, Rebecca and Co-Founder Michele Amar will build upon the extensive amount of work they’ve already done by hiring a team of developers to build a beta version of AllGo, focused on the city of Portland. If you live in the area, you can get on the beta list at their website.
Support the AllGo Kickstarter campaign by clicking here and connect with the company on Instagram at @can.we.all.go.
