Turning on your phone, the screen is filled with a variety of apps. Whether for finding a restaurant, watching a movie or checking the bus timetable, you can always find an app to facilitate your life.
Nowadays, all you need to do is swipe your phone screen to do so many things! Organisations such as GeoThings Inc., OurCityLove and Goodthing Map have mustered the strength of young people to design apps that can be used to assist in disaster relief, and help disadvantaged vendors and the physically challenged, infusing technology with more of a human touch.
Don’t let a small door threshold distance you from customers! OurCityLove Social Enterprise has organised the most complete guide of barrier-free restaurants for you
Imagine for a moment that you pregnant, have sprained your ankle, have gone out with your grandparents or are dragging a heavy suitcase. It is quite possible for anyone to find themselves in a situation where they are prevented from easily walking upstairs or downstairs. In such a situation, you might even find a small door threshold can bar you from entering a restaurant, not to mention the narrowness of an aisle, the instability of tables and chairs or the limited space available for your feet under the table. These small details that you normally do not pay attention to can greatly affect your dining experience when you are physically challenged.
Demand for barrier-free restaurants might seem high, but “although there were even restaurant guide app platforms dedicated to pet-friendly dining places, there was not one specifically designed for the physically challenged,” OurCityLove Social Enterprise founder Lin Chong-wey said.
Therefore, he led a team of students in designing the first survey tool in Taiwan to be focused on a disabled-friendly environment. After many surveyors gathered details about more than 555 businesses in the greater Taipei area, the team released an app called “Friendly Restaurant Taipei”, which aims to help all physically challenged people and their relatives or friends easily find suitable dining places.
Because of their personal experience and requirements, physically challenged people tend to be accessibility experts who understand the elements necessary for a disabled-friendly restaurant. Therefore, OurCityLove started to collaborate with lots of disability rights organisations and recruited many people with different kinds of disabilities to become “Commissioners of Love”.
After these Commissioners received complete training, they were sent to inspect restaurants in person, writing reviews about all aspects, including customer entry, the dining experience, the toilet and paying the bill. They observed many details, such as restaurant layout and the design of the bathrooms and counter. After completing the inspections, they also provided “loving advice” to the restaurant owners.
After the survey results of the Commissioners were organised, not only was the public provided with a list of barrier-free restaurants, but users were also able to specifically search for a suitable restaurant catering to their needs, such as if they were wheelchair users, needed to bring a pram, were pregnant, used crutches, had poor eyesight or hearing, etc. The app also has a function filtering the type of restaurant, including choices of Chinese and Western food, exotic cuisine, dessert and light food, and healthy vegetarian. In this way, it offers a wide variety of choices to the physically challenged.
“A healthy city is not one that only provides services to 80% of its residents.” What OurCityLove Enterprise is designing is not merely an app but a friendly city.
There is no need to dial 119 for every incident. GeoBingAn integrates all urgent disaster relief requirements
From an early age, we are taught to dial 119 to ask for help whenever an emergency arises. However, when natural disasters occur, people living in different areas all have different needs at the same time. Disaster victims usually do not have time to wait on a busy line, and hearing and speech- impaired people may not even be able to make a phone call. In such a situation, how do we quickly integrate, coordinate and deliver resources more efficiently to those in need?
A couple of years ago, Slayer Chuang, the CEO of GeoThings Inc., had already developed a text messaging service with a coordination function which could be used by rescuers to track down the location of text senders. Unfortunately, his brainchild was not promulgated. Once one of his Japanese friends who was visiting Taiwan could not find a cab late at night. At that time, Slayer Chuang encouraged his friend to use his text messaging service, then followed the coordinate embedded in the text message to pick up his friend. “This was the first time I truly felt that what I was doing could bring benefits to my friends and the public,” said Slayer Chuang.
Since then, along with his business partners, he has created a social enterprise called GeoThings Inc., which aims to promote this text messaging coordination system to the wider public. By using the GeoBingAn app, anyone can record the disaster situation anytime simply by taking photos with their phones before the location coordinates and disaster relief needs are sent back to the GeoBingAn Web command centre via text message. After the command centre receives the textmessage, it will precisely and effectively distribute disaster relief resources on its platform according to victims’ location coordinates and their needs. In this way, the efficiency of disaster relief efforts is greatly improved.
GeoThings also emphasises, “This platform does not take up any bandwidth in sending out geographical coordinates via text message. Therefore, updates on disaster situations can be immediately sent back to the centre even in cases of poor signals or multinational rescue operations. In disaster affected areas with a lack of signal, the app can temporarily store records which are then uploaded when the internet is present.”
In fact, there are many other young people using technology to show their love for Taiwan. For example, Watchout, which provides the latest information on Taiwanese politics and creates timely and convenient tools and platforms to help the public engage in politics, was set up by a team of passionate youths who love Taiwan. Goodthing Map, an app that integrates information about disadvantaged vendors in Taiwan, was also founded by young people. The initiative helps many “Fried Dumpling Grandpas” and “Grandmas Who Sell Newspapers” feel supported by society.
With the blessing of technology and social entrepreneurship, young people do not need to wait to get rich before participating in charitable activities. Now they can take out their phones and use all kinds of apps to take part in positive movements that change society!
