Fifteen percent of the global population lives with one or multiple disabilities,1 representing approximately 1.5 billion individuals.2 With an aging population,3 this number is expected to grow. “Disability” is an umbrella term that designates impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions experienced by an individual, or the negative interaction between an individual and their environment.1 People with disability (PWD) can encounter diverse challenges to access social and physical environments, leading to social isolation and reduced participation, including participation in outdoor leisure-time physical activity (OLTPA, e.g., hiking, skiing).4, 5, 6 In this manuscript OLTPA is defined as non-motorized physical activities that are practiced in a dynamic relationship with the elements of nature in a non-competitive approach.7 In the literature, this definition can also be associated with the terms outdoor sport,8 outdoor recreational activities9 or outdoor leisure activities that one chooses to do in their own time.10 Participation in OLTPA has benefits for the individual (e.g., physical health, autonomy) and collective benefits to the communities in which PWD live (e.g., development of new social network, disability awareness).11, 12, 13 However, access to OLTPA is commonly restricted due to barriers experienced by the individual, such as lack of financial or human resources.14, 15, 16 Moreover, OLTPA is associated with additional barriers, such as inaccessible facilities or inappropriate programs for people with mobility impairments.15,16 The need for assistance is one of the main barriers to OLTPA for people with mobility impairments.13,14 Given concerns PWD have about health and safety during OLTPA, such as challenges with transfers, receiving adequate assistance was described as essential.13 PWD need to be offered autonomy and choice in their participation. However, even when multiple choices are available, lack of information about OLTPA may also restrict access for PWD.2,16

In an effort to mitigate obstacles to OLTPA that PWD face, various non-profit organizations have developed promotional programs, including some that are subsidized by governments.17 Some current initiatives include digital platforms that encourage health promoting behaviors among PWD.18 Sports associations also frequently include information about opportunities for PWD to practice adapted sports on their websites.19 However, finding information about disability-specific sport opportunities at the local participation level is challenging, which may hinder participation.19 Some digital platforms aim to facilitate access to OLTPAs for PWD, which have become more ubiquitous since the COVID-19 pandemic.20 For example, mobile navigation apps that include magnifying non-braille texts or VoiceOver functions to convert text to audio, have been shown to facilitate wayfinding in open spaces for people with visual impairments.10 Other platforms rely on the social potential of the digital environment to gather communities with common interests and values to share pertinent information and resources.21 Some apps can facilitate users to gather information about the accessibility of a particular environment with the intention to share with other users10

However, current platforms and apps have limitations for PWD who want to access OLTPA. For example, some navigation apps do not provide information within parks and most apps do not support PWD while they are engaging in the OLTPA.10 Furthermore, some platforms only target specific populations, such as apps dedicated to people with visual impairment.10 Another app, called Jooay, promotes recreation and enables the user to locate appropriate activities; however, the app only targets children with disabilities.18 The app Wel-co.me is designed to provide “inclusive and accessible customer experiences for all” in diverse venues (e.g., shopping malls). However, the app does not offer the support of volunteers during OLTPA.22

Despite the limitations, digital platforms have the potential to influence and maintain OLTPA behavior.18 Therefore, developing online platforms that consider the specific needs of PWD may represent one potential solution to address the gaps. Accessible online platforms have the potential to improve engagement and participation of PWD in activities beneficial to health and autonomy.11, 12, 13

To address some of the existing limitations, the association for the leisure of disabled people – Capitale Nationale (Association pour le loisir des personnes handicapées - Capitale Nationale, ARLPH03), a non-profit community organization from Quebec area (Canada) who promotes access to leisure activities, including OLTPA for PWD partnered with our research team to develop a digital platform. Based on their experience in OLTPA for PWD and discussions with one of their members living with a physical disability, ARLPH03 identified the following needs for an accessible platform: 1. Training resources for adult with mobility or sensory impairments and volunteers to support safe participation in OLTPA, 2. Matching between PWD and volunteers to support them, and 3. A directory of available adapted equipment to perform these OLTPA. However, the current review will reveal whether these features are relevant, if additional features may be relevant to add to the platform, and how to foster the accessibility of these features.

To support ARLPH03 in the development of this digital platform, the aim of this study was to identify features existing in similar digital platforms that could be considered for the platform under development. A secondary objective was to describe the accessibility features within the existing platforms and their compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) guidelines.23 The WCAG are international guidelines that aim to “defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities”.23 These guidelines consider a wide range of disabilities (visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities), but also recognize they are unable to address the needs related to any type of disability or combination of disabilities.23