Toronto man creates app to discover and rate sensory-friendly places
Posted August 22, 2023 2:26 pm.
Last Updated August 22, 2023 2:35 pm.
A Toronto resident has created a new app aimed at making the world more inclusive for autistic people or sensory issues.
Leo Lagnado developed NeuroHub after his six-year-old daughter was diagnosed with autism. The app is free and allows those who use it to discover and rate sensory-friendly places.
“We’ve always really struggled with finding places that can be welcoming to her,” said Lagnado. “Every single place that’s rated opens the door to a family like mine.”
When she was first diagnosed, he searched for apps in hopes to find something that rates businesses based on accessibility for autistic people, but came up short.
“I didn’t find anything and I said ‘Why didn’t no one think of this or build this.?’ So I said maybe I’ll try to figure out how to code and build it myself.”
Lagnado said he learned how to code and built NeuroHub app, then tested the app with the help of 70 neurodivergent people and released it in the Apple Store last summer.
“By having people rate different places and say what they are, this raises awareness and lets businesses realize that this is something that they should be doing and helping,” he explained.
There are now 600 places rated on the app in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“When we think about autism, we think about how accessible places can be,” said Lagnado. “So in the same way for a physical disability, a ramp would be super important. For autism. other elements might be just as important, for example, if the place has the lights too bright or if the sounds are too intense.”
Lagnado says he’s working on a version of the app for androids and hopes to have it available in the next few months.
