City of Bloomington Partners with AccessAbleUSA to Provide Accessibility Guides for Downtown Businesses

The City of Bloomington has awarded a $15,000 grant to AccessAbleUSA, Inc., a local accessibility information company, to help downtown businesses better serve patrons of all abilities.

Through this initiative, AccessAbleUSA will work with up to 30 small, independent businesses on a first-come, first-served basis to conduct remote surveys and create Detailed Access Guides, which provide accurate and practical information to help customers with diverse needs assess a venue’s accessibility. Detailed Access Guides are searchable on the websites of AccessAbleUSA and participating businesses, where people searching for accessibility information would expect to find them.

The surveys will focus on customer-facing independent businesses in the greater downtown Bloomington area, including those already part of the city’s AccessAbility Decal Program. Businesses are encouraged to nominate themselves by completing the interest form as soon as possible.

“In Bloomington, being a welcoming and inclusive place is one of our core values,” said Andrea de la Rosa, Assistant Director for Small Business Development. “Helping facilitate ease of access for people with specialized needs is one of the many ways in which we exemplify this goal.”

AccessAbleUSA, founded in 2024 as the U.S. arm of the U.K.-based AccessAble, has developed guides for Princeton University, Swarthmore College, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington. AccessAble has been the leading provider of accessibility information in the U.K. for more than 25 years.

AccessAbleUSA’s methodology incorporates Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, along with international best practices for accessibility, such as those provided by the American National Standards Institute and the International Standards Organisation (ISO 21542 - Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment). Surveys consider physical access as well as sensory, neurological, and cognitive needs.

“Our goal is not to judge a building or business’s accessibility, but to document conditions as they exist so customers can make informed choices,” said Lesley Davis, Vice President for North American Partnerships at AccessAbleUSA. 

Businesses also receive tailored recommendations, ranging from major updates to simple, low-cost improvements, such as using color contrast in restrooms to aid navigation for customers with low vision.

With people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers controlling $490 billion in discretionary income annually, and more than 87 percent seeking accessibility information before visiting new places, this project will benefit both Bloomington consumers and local businesses.

Independent businesses interested in participating in this initiative should complete the interest form, available at https://bton.in/3Z61c, by Saturday, Nov. 1. 

For more information, contact Lesley Davis at [email protected].

To see the existing Detailed Access Guides, visit the AccessAbleUSA and the AccessAble (UK) websites at www.accessableusa.com and www.accessable.co.uk.