Yelp makes it easier for you to find businesses that meet your accessibility needs
Use Yelp site reviews is a great way to learn important details about a business, such as its sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility. Now Yelp is adding new properties and more artificial intelligence (AI) to make its services more comprehensive.
On Tuesday, Yelp announced it has partnered with Disability:IN, the American Association of People with Disabilities, Open to All and The Arc to launch new accessibility features ahead of Disability Pride Month in July These features include new searchable accessibility attributes that enable users to find businesses that meet their needs more easily, and eight new attributes targeting accessibility requirements. about movement, hearing and vision.
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The new attributes specify whether the business has parking near the entrance, an ADA-compliant main entrance, ADA-compliant restrooms, no steps or stairs, at least one employee proficient in ASL, closed captioning on TV, braille menu available and QR code menu available.
These attributes are found in the new accessibility section of your business’s information tab. To make connecting with the right business even easier, users can search for attributes by entering queries like “QR code menu available” to find organizations that have adopted that attribute .
Business owners can add those attributes to their Yelp page for free by editing the Business Information section of their Yelp for Business account. Users can also share details about properties through ‘Community Update’ questions on Yelp business pages.
Yelp is also changing its app and website to make them more inclusive. For example, it added AI-powered alt text descriptions for photos, allowing screen readers to provide better photo details for visually impaired Yelp users. This feature is currently available on desktop and will roll out to other platforms later.
The company has also introduced improved color contrast to make content easier to read for users with low vision or color blindness, and it has enhanced the overall screen reading experience.
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Finally, to help businesses get access to what they need to create more inclusive spaces, Yelp has added a new Accessibility Resource Center with information, tools, tips, etc.
