What the Sociability App means to me

Here at Sociability, we love to hear from our community and of course meet up throughout the year on our mapping days with you all! Meet Laura Drummond, an avid supporter of Sociability App, after attending our mapping days in the South of England in 2023. Here Laura talks about what the Sociability App means to her and her experiences attending our meet ups!

What is the sociability App?

Do you ever want to go out to a venue such as a cafe, restaurant, or entertainment venue but you are nervous because you have no idea what it's going to be like when you get there as far as accessibility goes? Well, Sociability can make that process easier for you. These venues are mapped primarily by disabled people, so it is seen through our eyes and include the elements of a venue that you are interested in. It doesn’t just include the things that as a wheelchair user you need to know. It includes tags for people who have mobility-related access needs, as well as encompassing those with hearing, visual, and sensory access needs too. Knowing what to expect before you arrive at a venue is really helpful.

As well as Sociabilty having a team of trained mappers based in the capital, you can also map venues yourself, anywhere in the world! You can map the indoor and outdoor areas of a venue, as well as any lifts or upstairs spaces including the toilets and other essential areas. It is an easy user interface, and you get the hang of it after a few goes! It doesn't take much time to map a venue and just think of the person who wants to go where you have been but is anxious about what the facilities are like; only to find that all the information is there for them!

Sociability Community

Not only that, but you can also be a part of the Sociability Community either online through their social media accounts or join up with fellow disabled people on one of the mapping days! Mapping days take place all across the country and you can find out the details of them by following Sociability’s Instagram page or checking out their mapping days calendar here. Nothing shocks most non-disabled people more than seeing 20 disabled turn up at a pub! Believe me when I say that is an awesome feeling! To be the majority for once. Everyone is so friendly and just gets it, you don’t need to explain anything, and it can be so refreshing. The mapping days are a really lovely way to break yourself in gently with knowledgeable people around you to ensure you are on the right track.So why not download the Sociability App and follow all the socials to hear the latest news about the app and mapping days? You can also sign up for the e-newsletters to keep up to date if you are
not on social media. There is also some gamification of the app when you can achieve levels the more that you map! It’s such a fun and easy thing to do so start today and join this fabulous community.

You can download the Sociability App here.