Why we built Access Compass

Finding support should not be harder than getting support. Yet useful information is often spread across many websites. It may also be old or hard to find. Access Compass brings it together in one clear place.

My story

I'm the founder. I am registered "severely sight impaired". I have no 3D depth perception, have limited vision and use assistive technology every day. I also chair a disabled supporters' association. Access is part of my daily life, not just a feature I have read about.

Access Compass is independent. It is not linked to any council or trust.

I meet the same problem when I look for myself or help a family. Local groups, public services and practical guides sit on different websites. Families can spend hours looking for help that already exists.

So I built the tool I needed. That is how we build everything at ADAI Digital: tools for everybody, with disabled people at the centre from the start.

What Access Compass is

Access Compass is a free and accessible directory. It covers support services, accessible places and how-to guides. It is for children and adults, their families and carers. It has UK editions for Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, plus an edition for Victoria in Australia. Each edition is called "Access Compass: <Region>". The app lists public services and places, then points you to them.

Independent and source-led

Access Compass is independent of the councils, NHS bodies, charities and services it lists. ADAI Digital makes it. It is not made by a council or government department. We use public information. We show its source and when it was checked. We also link to the original page for the current official position.

Everything here comes from published public sources. It never uses case records or internal documents, and no council, trust or NHS body endorses it.

Planning a trip or a day out as well? Try our sister travel guide, Roam Pal Guide: a travel guide for everyone, with accessibility at its heart.

What we believe

Honesty before everything. We show the source and check date for each access claim. A blank means "not yet checked". It never means "inaccessible". Details change, so confirm them with the service before you rely on them. Each listing also has a correction link. Access Compass gives information and signposting. It does not give professional, legal, medical or financial advice.

One experience for everyone. Access is part of the whole app. It has keyboard support, adjustable text, high contrast, a dyslexia-friendly font and clear screen-reader labels.

Your data stays with you. There are no accounts and no tracking. Your settings and saved items stay on your own device, and the app keeps working offline once it has loaded.

Free. The people who most need clear support information shouldn't have to pay to find it.

Gather the support that already exists, tell people plainly where to find it, and make it usable for everyone. That's the whole idea.

Who's behind it

Access Compass is made by ADAI Digital, a small UK company led by a disabled developer. Its aim is simple: use technology to make life better, especially for people who are too often designed around instead of designed for.

If your organisation needs help making a service clearer or more accessible, see ADAI Digital services.

If any of this speaks to you, if a service is missing, or if we've got something wrong, please tell us at admin@adaidigital.co.uk. Reports from disabled people, families and carers are the most valuable feedback we get.

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