Yelp has introduced eight attributes that businesses can
add to their page to help people with disabilities discover local business. It also used AI to improve searchable and readable results on its platform.
The changes announced Tuesday gives
anyone searching Yelp using phrases like Wheelchair accessible or ASL proficient easier access to find these types of businesses. Businesses can find the attributes on Yelp business pages in an
Accessibility section.
July is disability month in the United States.
There are more than 42.5 million Americans with disabilities, according to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS),
which defines a disability as having difficulty at age five or older with one or more activities such as seeing, hearing, concentrating or remembering, walking or climbing stairs, dressing or
bathing.
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"Wheelchair accessible” is among the most popular attributes on Yelp business pages. In fact, searches for the term rose annually on average of 40% from 2020 to 2023.
Yelp, to better serve the community, has teamed up with disability leaders Disability:IN, the American Association of People with Disabilities
(AAPD), Open to All, and The Arc to introduce these searchable accessibility attributes.
The company said it also will roll out platform updates for people with visual impairments, including
AI-powered alternative text for photos to improve the experience for people using screen readers.
And Yelp created an Accessibility Resource Hub for businesses. It offers information and tools
to help business owners implement and learn more about practices for customers with disabilities.
The business
attributes supporting specific accessibility needs include:
Mobility accessibility attributes:
- Accessible parking near entrance
- ADA-compliant main
entrance
- ADA-compliant restroom
- No steps or stairs
Hearing accessibility attributes:
- ASL proficient
- Closed captioning on TVs (for
restaurants, food, and nightlife businesses)
Vision accessibility attributes:
- Braille menus available (for restaurants, food, and nightlife businesses)
- QR
code menus available (for restaurants, food, and nightlife businesses)
Yelp used AI to improve accessibility for users with visual impairments, including AI-powered
alternative text descriptions for photos, improved color contrast, and other screen reader functionality.
Large Language Models (LLMs) has assisted in automatically generating descriptive
alternative text for image screen readers to leverage on restaurants, bars, and nightlife business pages.
AI-powered alternative text descriptions are available on desktop today and will roll
out across all platforms and categories in the future.