After being made redundant in 2009 and finding it impossible to get another job in IT I resolved to take the opportunity to become semi-retired, I did a little website design and enjoyed the time available to get back into country walking. While on one of these wanders I was struck by the design of the trail access and it occurred to me how unusual it was, this prompted some research and I discovered that information on accessible walks was dreadfully hard to find, so I resolved to do something about it and the Accessible Countryside for Everyone website was borne going live on 1st Jan 2011 – covering England and Wales
The site has developed from simply listing accessible tracks and trails to providing listings of disability organisations, disabled sports organisations, carers and family organisations, accessible holiday providers, accessible holiday accommodation, taxis, pubs, restaurants and so on.
I also did research into the physical act of providing access to wheelchair users and those with mobility issues leading to a page dedicated to resources and best practice.
I have also been able to provide assistance to organisations regarding the publication of accessibility information, providing feedback and suggestions for improvement.
In 2013 I created a new website to provide basic accessibility information on tourist attractions in England and general tourism information – tourist.me.uk
More will be done but I find being semi-retired I have more demands on my time and resources that I ever did while working full time! So unfortunately development is done as time and funds allow.