App guarantees warmer Welcome for disabled people
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Welcome, a digital service developed by Neatebox, is designed to improve the relationship between staff and customers by making initial meetings more friendly.
• READ MORE: Technology news
The app provides information on venues with five top tips relevant to disabled visitors, putting an end to potentially awkward conversations on arrival.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt is the latest innovation from company founder Gavin Neate, a former guide dog trainer, who believes technology can give those living with disabilities greater independence.
“With poor communication and understanding of disability I felt that it was time to use our smart devices to break down barriers and improve human-to-human interactions,” he said.
“I am incredibly excited that Welcome will give us the chance to really help those with hidden disabilities as much as anyone else and look forward to introducing the platform internationally next year.”
• READ MORE: A Neate way of making venues more accessible for all
A demonstration of the app was held at the Forth Valley Sensory Centre last month, giving potential users the chance to test it for themselves.
The centre in Falkirk offers services and advice for people with sight or hearing loss and is one of the first places to trial Welcome, along with the nearby Falkirk Wheel.
For John Logan, the app solved a problem he has experienced on countless occasions. “I get very frustrated going places and being ignored and people not wanting to talk to me because I am in a wheelchair,” he said.
Neate spent 18 years working with guide dogs and used that experience to create the Welcome app – after securing £35,000 of funding. The new app is similar to the Button app that he created in 2014 to assist blind and disabled people at pedestrian crossings.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdUsers will be able to download the Welcome app for free, with venues paying a monthly subscription to use the service.
The firm’s Button app, which was installed at pedestrian crossings in Largs last month, has been shortlisted for the National Transport Awards, while IT services multinational Atos has signed up the company as a preferred supplier for the Welcome app.
Sensory centre manager Jacquie Winning said: “The Welcome app is a great piece of innovative technology which we are delighted to be using here at the centre. We know there has been a real buzz and we look forward to more organisations signing up and committing to improving their customer service for disabled people.”
Neate liaised with Guide Dogs, RNIB and Scope when designing the app, which he says will “break down barriers”. He added: “This could be a massive help to disabled people and also to customer service teams.”
Neatebox is based in the centre of Edinburgh, creating products that improve the quality of life for specific users. While it currently has four staff, Neate believes its headcount will expand with the additional funding.