Disability Tech Company Empowered Together Launches Online Marketplace to Connect People Living with Disabilities to Accessible Businesses

Empowered Together's pilot program makes its online marketplace available for people living with disabilities to discover, connect with, and recommend accessible businesses.

PORTLAND, Conn., Jan. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Empowered Together, a disability tech company that creates tools to ensure accessible, inclusive consumer experiences, has announced the launch of the pilot program for its online marketplace in New Haven, Connecticut. The pilot, funded with a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and investment from VC firm Visible Hands, makes Empowered Together's online marketplace available for local residents to discover, connect with, and recommend accessible businesses. Additionally, local businesses can use the marketplace to learn how accessible their services are and how to make changes to better serve the disabled community.

"This pilot program brings to life Empowered Together's vision ? a world that is accessible to people affected by disability," says Sarah Spear, Founder & CEO at Empowered Together. "As the mother of a child living with a disability, I've experienced firsthand how accessibility enables my family to participate in our community in meaningful ways. Our online marketplace is making disability inclusion a reality."

"New Haven is a mecca of education and culture in Connecticut. The myriad of businesses reflect that diversity, and it's crucial that such diversity is also reflected in the people who are able to access those businesses," says Billy Huang, Chair of the City of New Haven Commission on Disabilities.

Anyone can sign up for the marketplace for free at https://app.empoweredtogether.us/sign-up, then recommend a business and leave a review based on personal experience. Users can search for accessible businesses by type, location, and accessibility criteria including auditory, cognitive, dietary, mobility, neurodiverse, and visual.

Businesses are listed on the marketplace at no cost. Nationally, businesses that receive verified recommendations on the marketplace will be listed. During the six-month pilot program, businesses recommended in New Haven will receive an in-person walk-through by Empowered Together staff to validate the business' accessibility features, and must implement any recommended accessibility upgrades found during the walk-through before being listed. Businesses can undertake the upgrades independently and request another walk-through, or they can take advantage of a tiered pricing model that enables them to receive a report of the findings and work with Empowered Together to implement the recommended upgrades. Once listed, businesses are eligible to become sponsors and receive enhanced visibility on the marketplace.

After New Haven businesses undergo a walk-through and it's confirmed they meet accessibility criteria, they receive a window decal to display in-store and a digital certificate for their website, denoting the business as accessible for people living with disabilities.

"Being accessible has been good for business. Features like our ramp enable both people living with disabilities as well as moms with strollers to visit my restaurant," says Brenda Jain, owner of It's Thai Time, a New Haven restaurant listed on the marketplace.

There are more than 70 businesses listed on the marketplace in New Haven and across the US. While the pilot aims to grow the marketplace's reach within New Haven first, it is currently available for use by anyone across the country.

Those who wish to join the online marketplace and begin searching for and reviewing accessible businesses can do so at https://app.empoweredtogether.us/sign-up.

Business inquiries can be directed to: [email protected].

About Empowered Together

Empowered Together is a disability tech company that creates tools to ensure accessible, inclusive consumer experiences for people and families living with disability. Our online marketplace empowers community members to discover, connect with, and recommend accessible businesses. We help businesses comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, in recognition that Americans with Disabilities hold $490 billion in purchasing power. Our vision is a world that is accessible to people affected by disability. Together, we are Empowered. Learn more at www.empoweredtogether.us/.

Media Contact
Jennifer Ringler, MS, Empowered Together, 1 973-647-5004, [email protected], https://www.empoweredtogether.us/

SOURCE Empowered Together