Wellbeing
Snowball – Exciting new app
I want to tell you a story that is a game changer for people with physical disabilities, mental health issues and learning disabilities.
Published: 24 May 2022
In 2014 I became paralysed from the waist down and am now a full-time wheelchair user. After a year of recovery, I went out the for first time to my favourite restaurant only to realise there was no disabled access. Since that day I have been working with a number of companies including Microsoft, De Montfort University and Facebook to give me guidance and advice to create an application that will change the way the disabled community will access their communities and travel, it is called ‘Snowball’
In 2016 I set up a page on Facebook called Ability Access, the idea was to raise awareness of disabled access in the Leicester area. Now in 2022, it has 100,000 followers on social media and is the largest, most read disability page in the world and can reach over 24 million people a month and, according to Facebook, has an audience size of over 35 million people.
This month we are launching the ‘Snowball’ app. ‘Snowball’ will give you information on disabled friendly places of business and what disabled facilities are available.
‘Snowball’ is proud to have two Ambassadors both Team GB hero’s, seven times Paralympic Gold Medallist Hannah Cockroft OBE and Tokyo Paralympic Gold Medallist Aaron Phipps MBE.
‘Snowball’ is a game changer because this is the first global accessibility app.
So, for example if you are standing in London or New York, you can open the Snowball app, select your location and all the venues with disabled access will pop up near your location, giving the user a choice on which bar, restaurant, shop, cinema, corner shop, tourist attraction, supermarket or coffee shop they can visit without being disappointed or turned away.
How can your business be part of the Snowball Community?
Your business will be able to sign up and upload relevant information including pictures so that people can access your facility with ease. Users will also be able to add reviews of your facility, rate your facility, add pictures and say if they would return.
‘Snowball’ already has a number of supermarkets and high street chains signed up, we are hoping you will do the same and join the ‘Snowball’ community by registering an interest at our holding page. So that when it is time, we can let you know when your venues and stores can upload their access information to the application.
We believe ‘Snowball’ will drive people with disabilities to your business knowing they can access it with ease and improve the quality of life for everyone involved.
We also invite you to advertise with Snowball, as our main revenue comes from business like yours. If you would like to do so or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@snowball.community.
Many thanks
Simon Sansome