Euan MacDonald, of Euan's Guide, has died

[Dystopiary]

Euan Maconald, champion for the rights of disabled people, has died aged 50. He had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2003.

In 2007, Euan established the Euan Maconald Centre through the University of Edinburgh to improve the lives of people with MND. He also helped to establish The Voicebank Study, which enables people who are at risk of losing their voice through illness to preserve it, so that they might be able to use it again through a communication aid, rather than a generic-sounding computerised one. He also founded Speak Unique, which enables people to find a voice that's right for them when natural speech isn't possible.

Together with his sister Kiki, he set up the accessibility review site Euan's Guide, which has been a Godsend for disabled people trying to find accessible places to visit and stay. It's enabled disabled people and carers to share their experiences of places in terms of access. People review attractions, places to eat and drink, places of worship, sports venues and many others, helping each other to find somewhere relevant to their needs.

The idea for Euan's Guide stemmed from Euan’s frustration at the lack of accurate information about disabled access that he experienced as a powerchair user. Not knowing whether you could access a venue, use an accessible toilet or find an accessible hotel room meant that without Euan’s Guide millions of disabled people would be unable to quickly, reliably and easily plan trips, experiences and events. He wanted to create a resource that would give disabled people the freedom to live their lives to the full as he did without worrying about poor disabled access.

RIP.

Euan MacDonald MBE