Roll Mobility paves the way for a more inclusive and accessible future

This sticker with the Rollmobility logo lets people know an establishment is accessible for mobility-challenged patrons. Credit: Giles Clasen

Story by Frank DeAngeli

Photos by Giles Clasen

One of Denver’s biggest draws to local residents and visitors is its easy access to outdoor recreation, charming mountain towns, and natural beauty. However, for anyone who uses wheelchairs or has mobility issues, some obstacles to accessibility begin in areas much closer to home — at bars, cafes, restaurants, office buildings, and residences.

Roll Mobility, a Denver-based app and accessibility tool, is seeking to make its hometown, as well as cities across the world, more navigable for wheelchair users and other individuals who face mobility challenges.

Officially launched in February of 2023, the app allows community members to submit reviews, photos, and videos of different businesses, listing their strengths and weaknesses in making their places of business accessible to all. These submissions help to paint a picture of a location’s overall ease of access for community members with disabilities, who then can make decisions on where to live or socialize, based on the ratings and reviews from similarly challenged individuals.

Joe Foster, one of the founders of Roll Mobility, explained that the idea for the app started almost three years ago as written notes on the back of a napkin.

“We said ‘Well, this must already exist. We must just not be Googling it correctly.’ We were just kind of blown away that this gap existed.”

Speaking with people with disabilities, Foster found that, typically, options for gauging a business’ accessibility can be limited and are often unreliable.

“Folks with disabilities would call and talk to a host to get information on accessibility,” Foster said. “And unfortunately, it sounds like that information was incorrect eight out of 10 times. They’d hear things like ‘We’ve got stairs, but don’t worry; we’ll just carry you up the stairs.’ A lot of adults don’t want to be carried anywhere.”

The Roll Mobility app prompts users to leave reviews of a location by filling out a 13-item questionnaire. Eight of the questions are about the facility itself, and five are about the bathroom. These questions include “Are there accessible sidewalks/ramps outside the entrance?”, “Are you able to access every part with a power chair?”, “Are there plenty of ow-top tables with removable chairs?”, and “Is there a rollunder sink?”.

According to Foster, Roll Mobility has intentionally created these questions with objective “yes” or “no” answers to ensure that users know which places meet their specific needs. Currently, the Roll Mobility team is developing a questionnaire tailored specifically to address the accessibility of outdoor trails.

Since the Roll Mobility app’s inception, users have given it glowing reviews. One reviewer mentioned that having the app is akin to having a friend who has visited a business before and can speak directly to its accessibility. Many testimonials mentioned that knowing whether or not a place will have accessible bathrooms is often a concern, particularly at drinking establishments, and Roll Mobility has helped to assuage that particular anxiety. The consensus among reviewers is that an app like Roll Mobility is long overdue.

Foster said that accessibility in Denver can vary widely from location to location, and he commends local businesses that have made a great effort on this front. Brewability in Englewood previously applied for and received a grant from the City of Englewood to install an automatic door. Sanitas Brewing Company, which also is located in Englewood, went out of its way to build a low-height bar. This addition has made the brewery more accessible for wheelchair users. According to Foster, the vast majority of feedback from businesses has been positive. Foster also stresses that for the app to continue to exist and thrive, it relies on the community’s input.

“Our job throughout this whole process has been not to tell people what they want, but to ask people what they need,” Foster said. “We really feel like this is a community, and engaging the community is really important to us. That’s our true mission.”

As of May 2024, more than 100 businesses and attractions in the Denver metro area have reviews on the Roll Mobility app. Additionally, reviews have been submitted in 45 different countries.

Roll Mobility partners with organizations that are also working towards building a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible world For example, on June 8, in partnership with Dateability, a company that has designed a dating app, specifically for people with disabilities, Roll Mobility hosted a Spring Fling PubCrawl through downtown Denver.

To learn more about Roll Mobility or to download the app, visit RollMobility.com.