Euan’s Guide is a disabled review site that encourages first-hand reviews from disabled people who have visited tourist attractions, cafes, restaurants and much more. These reviews are incredibly valuable to the disabled community and Euan’s Guide want to encourage you to get involved too.
The first review is a momentous occasion for any Euan’s Guide reviewer. Their feedback about disabled access will be viewed by thousands of disabled people, their families and friends and carers, across the country and sometimes even further afield. This autumn, many disabled people will be discovering new places and rediscovering the places they love in the post-pandemic world – and Euan’s Guide is just the platform for you to share that experience.
Never underestimate the power of a review
At Euan’s Guide, we want to make sure information about disabled access is easy to find and share. Reviewers will explain how positive or negative their experience was, and rate and comment on disabled access in many ways – including what getting around the venue was like, how accessible the toilets were or what they thought about the parking. Others might detail how they felt about the place and how welcoming they felt their visit was – and in recent times it might be how COVID Confident they felt at the venue.
No journey is too long or too short, but that first review starts off the Euan’s Guide reviewing journey and the result can be rewarding and impactful – however often you review. Words and photos are equally helpful. Reviewers tell us they feel proud when they discover how somebody else has become inspired by their review – and even visiting that place themselves because of the review. Their journey is continued by interacting with the fun element of Euan’s Guide – as more reviews are written, people are rewarded with badges when they upload more pictures and visit more places locally and distantly.
A reviewer journey
2019 Reviewer of the Year, Jon Watkins, has been integral to delivering many great reviews in his local area of Tillicoultry and beyond. Jon is also an Ambassador for Euan’s Guide, with his dedication of sharing the good word about the charity, while pointing businesses in the direction of Euan’s Guide to improve accessibility in their venues and toilets. His reviewing efforts have earned him 38 badges – including rewarding him for reviews in other countries – and over time his reviews have become more detailed, from words to photography.
Jon’s first review dates back to 2015, at the Pfingstegg Rodelbahn in Switzerland. Awarding the “disabled-friendly” venue five stars, he said: “While you may need a little assistance getting on and off, this is a brilliant toboggan run. You sit on a plastic trolley with a handle you pull back to brake or push forward to go. I just pushed it forward the whole time and leaned into the corners as though on a bike. The run twists and turns down the hillside for about three minutes and when you get to the bottom a rope tow tows you back to the top, ready for another go! One of the best adrenalin rushes a wheelchair user can have.”
Fast forward five years and 76 reviews later, Jon has explored all types of venues. A keen traveller and fan of culture and the arts, he has given accessibility feedback on overnight stays in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – as well as reviewing local retailers. He has even been skydiving!
Reflecting on the reviewing journey
Jon Watkins said: “I wrote my first review after returning from a holiday in Switzerland. It was my first holiday as a wheelchair user and having hiked and cycled in the same area in the past, my view of the things I could do was dramatically changed. As I was with others who could help and no fixed agenda in an area I knew, the holiday was good but I became aware that if I had been a first time visitor I wouldn’t know where I could visit in my chair.
“Since that first review, I’ve tried to vary my reviews from local coffee shops to tourist attractions in France and America where there were no Euan’s Guide reviews available.
“It’s very encouraging to see comments and likes on my reviews when I know they have helped others enjoy somewhere I’ve been – and this encourages me to continue.”
More recently, Jon has reviewed the Tillicoultry Baptist Church – which he describes as “accessible worship in a venue for the community.” This is one that sums up the reviewer journey perfectly: Jon’s comprehensive review of the church covers every aspect of a visit, from details on how to book to uploading photos and videos on accessibility and protective measures.
Get started today
Many people are yet to submit their first review and tell their story – reviewing is an uplifting and incredibly powerful activity, and not to mention fun. Once that journey starts, it can become delightful knowing disabled people, their family, friends and carers, might use a review to inform their decision on where to go and plan their day. That one review can change everything – Euan’s Guide saves trawling through the web for hours on end. It’s useful, makes life easier and you can explore many great, new places you’re yet to experience.
Access has changed in and around venues and nothing is the same anymore coming out of the post-pandemic world. We all have to relearn the landscape of our villages and towns. Reviewing reinvigorates the excitement of visiting places, as discovery and exploration become more familiar again. It doesn’t matter where the venue is – your review can help so many other people and help venues improve their accessibility.
Leave your first review with Euan’s Guide today, visit EuansGuide.com/write-a-review.
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