To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re shining a spotlight on one of our brilliant tenants – The Accessible Guide. Phil Peel founded and runs this pioneering platform and uses technology to break down barriers and promote inclusion.
They base their mission in personal experience and professional expertise. It’s a vital reminder of why accessibility matters – every day, for everyone.
For this spotlight blog, we asked Phil Peel, Managing Director and Founder of The Accessible Guide, to share his story and how the platform came to be.
A Mission Rooted in Experience
The Accessible Guide was founded and is managed by disabled people with lived experiences of exclusion. Our mission is to leverage digital technology in innovative ways to create inclusion and reduce the barriers disabled people frequently encounter.
Our ambition is to be the number one resource for access to information. We are not a review-based platform. We showcase businesses and their access provisions, providing fact-based information that allows users to find businesses and venues that meet their individual access requirements.
From Start-Up to Social Impact
We completed the School for Social Entrepreneurs Start-Up Program in 2016. Later that year, we founded The Accessible Guide as a Community Interest Company. In the first few years, we focused on research. We explored the competitive landscape and spoke with key stakeholders. Both steps were vital to developing our platform. The feedback we received was crucial. It clearly showed there was a real need for what we are trying to achieve.
As the founder and Managing Director I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at a young age. After my condition deteriorated during my early teens, I am now a full-time wheelchair user.
As a keen traveller, I have worked three summers in Alabama and spent a couple of months in Chicago. I have also visited places such as New York, Nashville, New Orleans, Florida, Atlanta, and Virginia.
Travel, Technology, and Teamwork
We have two other Directors – Philip Edgar and Stephen Gilbert – whom I have travelled with to various cities around Europe. The barriers to inclusion encountered on my travels act as the motivation behind the development of our platform. As a graduate in Information Technology from Liverpool Hope University, The Accessible Guide has allowed me to combine my passion for travelling with my educational background and expertise.
The Accessible Guide is a listings website. We give businesses the chance to showcase their venues and services to disabled people and those with additional access needs. We also offer a videography service. This lets us work with businesses to create engaging, informative, and accessible video content. We share this content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. These videos help disabled people visually explore a venue. That reassurance can reduce stress and anxiety when planning a visit.
Supporting Accessibility Through Consultancy
We offer a consultancy service that supports businesses to meet their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 in becoming and remaining inclusive and welcoming to disabled people. It is important to recognise the return on investment: inclusive businesses can tap into a new revenue stream. Equally, it is important to recognise that the cost of making a venue accessible does not have to be extortionate.
We can be your first point of contact for access queries. We will provide answers and propose cost-effective solutions based on the suitability and reliability of your venue or business. When a concern arises, we are here to help.
Businesses that are inclusive and welcoming to disabled people can access a revenue stream known as the Purple Pound – the combined spending power of disabled people in the United Kingdom.
Latest research from Visit Britain suggests the Purple Pound is worth an estimated £14.6 billion annually to the tourism sector, proving that being inclusive and welcoming to disabled people isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also the smart thing.
Why We Chose Baltic Creative
In 2024, we made the decision to become residents of Baltic Creative. It is a location we were keen to be associated with. From our perspective, the Baltic Triangle is the place to be right now. It has a vibe like nowhere else in Liverpool and is known as a Digital and Creative Quarter – something that aligns perfectly with our company. As residents, we are here to help other residents become more inclusive and welcoming to disabled people. We are a firm believer that collaborating with other businesses can help us prosper and if any local businesses have any collaboration ideas, then we welcome you to get in touch.
Together, we can help make society more accessible, and showcase how wonderful the Baltic Triangle, and the city of Liverpool truly are.
To find out more about The Accessible Guide, visit their website and follow them on social media. They regularly share news, video content, and updates on inclusive venues.
If you’re a business looking to improve accessibility or explore collaboration, these are the best places to connect with Phil and the team – and start a conversation.
🔗 Website: www.theaccessibleguide.com
And catch them on their social media channels here:
