TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
Accessercise’s app makes it easier for people with disabilities to exercise
Anna Heim
4:54 AM PDT • October 16, 2023
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Image Credits: Eric Slomonson / The Photo Group for TechCrunch
Ali Jawad is a British Paralympic powerlifting champion, and he has a conviction: “Exercise must be seen as something for all, regardless of impairment.”
Jawad’s belief is the reason he joined forces with his former agent and fellow British athlete Sam Brearey to launch Accessercise, a fitness app for people who want to exercise despite their disabilities. The startup was among the Startup Battlefield 200 cohort at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023.
In its first onboarding step, Accessercise asks users about their disabilities, such as a missing upper or lower limb. The next questions ask them about their current level of exercise, and whether they need somebody to assist them.
Image Credits: Accessercise
The onboarding process is key to what happens next: In Accessercise, each disability is specifically supported.
“If you have one leg, you’ll only see videos which are scientifically valid and relative to you so they’re proven to be safe and to help you, and they’ll be demonstrated by somebody who also has one leg,” Brearey told me. “That’s really important to not only be [...]