Euan MacDonald MBE

Co-founder of Euan’s Guide

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Euan MacDonald MBE is the co-founder of Euan’s Guide, the website making it easier for disabled people to find great places to go. After a Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis 15 years ago, Euan has experienced being ambulant disabled, a wheelchair user, and now a powerchair user who communicates with eye-gaze technology. As Euan adjusted to his new access requirements, the biggest thing getting in his way was the lack of disabled access information for places he wanted to go. Researching places before visiting became an essential first step before doing anything, and so he set up Euan’s Guide with his sister Kiki in 2013 to solve the problem.

Euan’s Guide has become a place for people to share their knowledge of accessible bars, restaurants, shops, hotels and many more places. The award-winning website aims to be a friendly, honest and empowering alternative to hours of web searching and phone calls before visiting somewhere new for the first time.

Recently, Euan has launched SpeakUnique. The service creates personalised synthetic voices for individuals who have lost or will lose the ability to verbalise.

Euan’s work ethic knows no bounds. Along with his father, they set up the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research in Edinburgh. With backgrounds in investment, father and son approached MND researchers at the University of Edinburgh and went on to establish the internationally recognised research centre in 2007.

www.euansguide.com

“While the last year has brought on even more extraordinary challenges, I am grateful to everybody who has managed to keep motivated and supportive.

“A big thank you in particular to all our Euan’s Guide volunteers, ambassadors and reviewers for your support and for sharing experiences during the lockdowns. I am excited to see the rise in Euan’s Guide activity again with even more reviews helping disabled people find great places to go.

“We are continuing to work hard on various initiatives that will transform lives at the Euan MacDonald Centre, SpeakUnique and Euan’s Guide. I am very much looking forward to what the future brings.”