Access4you, accessibility certification for people with disabilities

Laura Hurtado on 14 February 2024

Innovative initiative based on a certification mark that provides reliable accessibility information of the built environment for people with disabilities

Access4you has a database and a mobile application, available for free, which indicate the degree of adaptation of spaces to the needs of people with disabilities and accessibility needs. It is based on a self-developed system of criteria based on a set of 1000 variables according to the usability aspects of 9 stakeholder groups: people with cognitive and visual disabilities; individuals with blindness, deafness, and hearing difficulties; people in wheelchairs, with baby strollers, and with assistance dogs; and the elderly.

Access4you classifies spaces using a qualification system divided into four categories according to the level of inclusivity of the location: Certified location, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Moreover, the database offers filterable and detailed data including measurements, as well as images of each location to help people with disabilities to plan their stay at an unknown location.

The certification, apart from benefiting these groups, also supports owners and businesses to obtain information about the accessibility of their buildings. In this way, organizations can commission an independent study to accredit the adaptation of their establishments, as well as acquire detailed proposal on how to improve it. Certified locations receive a designated datasheet in the Access4you database, which is available to everyone for free on the website and the application.

Thus, the initiative proposed by Access4you aims to promote the social integration of people with disabilities, improve the accessibility of the built environment, and serve as a center for the dissemination of knowledge and advice on the obstacles that these people encounter in their daily lives.

Access4you International is present in the CEE, SEE and India with the help of an expanding accredited partner network including Colliers, Bureau Veritas, TÜV, and CBRE. Both companies and individuals can join Access4you’s accreditation programme to acquire the skills and knowledge to join its mission and involve more locations to provide accessibility information.

Characteristics of the innovation

Publications, Disability, Fully inclusive cities, Independent living, New service, New technological tool, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Localization

Budapest, Hungary

Partners / Funders

Erste Foundation and Hungarian Development Bank VC Hiventures

Genesis

The initial idea was born in 2019 when its founder and CEO, Balázs Berecz, a wheelchair user for 15 years, encountered an accessibility problem when entering the accommodation he had booked in Lisbon. At that moment, he realized that “the willingness to help is not enough” and that “a common language about accessibility” is needed. The platform began its international expansion in 2022, with a network of partners in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2023, Access4you is also present in India.

Level of implementation

Access4you International operates in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, and India, with the help of a network of accredited partners such as Colliers, CBRE, Bureau Veritas, and TÜV. Today, Access4you has an impact in 23 countries, with about 1000 evaluated locations across 16 real estate sectors such as offices, shopping centers, and restaurants. The company received the Best Impact Startup Award in 2022, the Social Innovation Award 2023 from the EASPD (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities), and in 2023 became a member of the RICS Tech Partner Programme.

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