EnAccess Maps is taking the anxiety out of everyday trips for mobility aid users

Sabrina Leung’s startup story began while she was at university and working in disability support.

She worked closely with a client who became a good friend, who loves to travel to the city, seeking out Melbourne’s best fish and chips.

But there’s nothing worse than trekking across town, looking forward to your dinner, only to realise you can’t get in the door.

You can call or email ahead, but often venues give out the wrong information or don’t fully understand accessibility needs.

“The research process takes a really long time and causes a lot of stress and anxiety,” Sabrina says.

And with approximately 750,000 people in Australia using mobility aids, this is not an uncommon problem.

Sabrina built EnAccess Maps, a platform to help people using mobility aids find accessibility information on the places they’re planning to visit.

Owners of stores, cafes, restaurants and venues can self-report their accessibility status through a tailored, guided process.

But more importantly, users can leave reviews on a venue’s accessibility, sharing valuable information to let others what they can expect.

It’s about saving people time and wasted trips. But there’s more to it than that. EnAccess Maps allows people using mobility aids to share their experiences and what they’ve learnt; it empowers them to support each other.

“It’s to make sure people feel safe — and heard when they have a bad experience,” Sabrina explains.

“There are so many of these stories that are so informative for the next person visiting.

Knowledge is power

What started as a passion project (all while Sabrina was studying full-time and working in disability support), gained traction fast.

Sabrina started working on EnAccess Maps full-time in August last year. In November, she joined LaunchVic’s CivVic Labs program in a challenge ran in collaboration with VicHealth, focused on improving accessibility in public spaces. Things have only gone upwards from there.

Within six months of completing CivVic Labs, EnAccess Maps has secured $78,000 in funding, hired three part-time software engineers, and moved from MVP to what Sabrina calls “an actual user-friendly product”.

She’s run trials with five local councils, refining the tool to work for locations as well as users. Two of those councils are now customers.

Perhaps most importantly, Sabrina has been getting a sense of the demand for a product like this.

“With accessibility, everyone has been talking about it,” she says.

“A lot of people think it means construction, with big investment and big changes. What EnAccess Maps offers is a solution that starts with information.”

Sabrina credits CivVic Labs with giving her the fundamental business skills she needed to get off the ground, as well as one-on-one support and expert mentorship.

The program also connected her with local councils, to engage with them as customers.

“I didn’t know anything about working with government. But going in didn’t feel as scary through that program.”

“It’s not giving ‘corporate”

It’s been a steep learning curve for Sabrina. Her degree is in psychology and sociology, not business or software development, and as a solo woman founder, she found the startup ecosystem a little daunting.

“A lot of the skills I can learn,” she says.

“It’s the mental block I gave myself that is the biggest challenge, and a lot of imposter syndrome.”

The supportive startup ecosystem in Melbourne has helped her move past those feelings, she says.

People are willing to offer support, whether that’s business advice, introductions, or simply listening to her challenges and sharing their own.

Like a true Gen Z Sabrina says: “It’s not giving ‘corporate’”.

“With founders, a lot of people I’ve met have given up a lot to make things work. They inspire me a lot to work hard and to take risks,” she adds.

Now, Sabrina is thinking long-term, and dreaming big.

“I want EnAccess Maps to be the Google Maps for people with disabilities,” she says.

“The key to evolution and building communities is maps.

“The one thing that is missing is a map for people with different abilities to connect and build communities and thrive. That’s what I want EnAccess Maps to be.”