Tag4Access Accessibility App Launches to Map Barriers Across Canada

Tag4Access, an accessibility initiative founded by 16-year-old Prisha Popli, is now available on the App Store and Google Play. CityNews Halifax reported on October 10 that Popli hopes the community-driven app will inspire Canadians to become accessibility advocates in their own communities.

The app is built around an interactive map on which users can create tags describing the accessibility barriers or features of a given area. Those tags are then reviewed by volunteer accessibility leaders for verification, and the submissions are also used to identify gaps that can be turned into community-led solutions developed with local accessibility groups.

Popli said the idea grew out of a visit by her grandfather, who uses a walking stick and occasionally a wheelchair, to Nova Scotia. She explained that her family struggled to establish whether the places they were taking him offered basic accessibility features such as an accessible washroom, even after checking Google and online reviews. She subsequently approached local MLAs and a former member of the Nova Scotia Accessibility Advisory Board to gather feedback on the concept before building it.

To test demand for the platform, Popli ran a survey that drew 1,200 responses from community members describing the accessibility barriers they had encountered. That input, she said, demonstrated the need for a platform like Tag4Access.

With the app now live, Popli said she wants more people to contribute tags so that accessibility information available across Canada increases. Describing her long-term goal, she said she wants to see everyday citizens acting as accessibility advocates so that cities are truly open for everyone, and she pointed to possible funding applications tied to accessibility improvements in specific spaces. Volunteers interested in the initiative can contact the project by email at tagforaccess@gmail.com.