ACCESS U-M

Imagine this: While heading between classes, you encounter cracked, uneven sidewalks that are difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. The delay causes you to arrive late to class.

Or picture this: You are trying to register for a campus event online, but the form does not work with your screen reader. You email someone and you hope they respond in time.

These events happen every day across the University of Michigan’s campus. While there is currently an online reporting form, it lacks features such as geolocation and photograph capture. This makes it harder for users to report issues in the moment and for the Disability Equity Office to accurately track and respond to them.

Limited visibility

The current online form did not record precise location, limiting the Disability Equity Office’s visibility into where barriers were across campus.

Hard to track barriers

Without location-specific, mobile-friendly reporting, barriers were harder to track, and people had no quick, direct way to report issues.

Meet people where they are

The DEO needed a mobile-friendly reporting tool that made reporting easier and provided actionable location data.

A mobile app that enables real-time reporting of accessibility barriers. It uses geolocation and photos to capture precise barrier context.

The app in action

1. Report barriers in the moment.
2. Capture location and visual context in real time.
3. Stay connected after reporting.

Multi-platform testing

Ran testing on iOS, Android, and various screen sizes, ensuring the experience is consistent across platforms and devices.

Design system

Established a shared design system early on. Defined colors, fonts, and components to ensure visual consistency and reusable, sustainable development.

Design as we build

Integrates design into the agile workflow, supporting efficiency and rapid iteration.

Sprint 1 through Sprint 4 refined the location step: early screens used a dark map with technical coordinate readouts; later sprints moved to a lighter map-first layout under Report a Barrier, with clearer titles, search placement, progress, and instructions for placing the pin.

Process tips

• Internal team meetings a day before the client meeting.
• Finish assigned tasks early and push to GitHub so the team can test and build on top of it.
• Double-check that all tasks are done before completing a sprint.

Work was organized with Jira stories and a product backlog. The team followed an agile journey with sprint-based design iteration (Sprints 1–4).

Tech tip

Team communication before GitHub merging = success.

Key aspects

Geolocation — Provides the location of the physical barrier users are reporting.

Photo upload — Enables the capture and storing of images to show what the barrier is.

Backend architecture

• Mobile app: React Native / Expo
• Firestore — Firebase database
• Cloud Storage — Image attachments
• Cloud Function — onDocumentCreated
• Gmail API — Google Workspace email notifications

Data flow: App writes a new report to Firestore and uploads an image to Cloud Storage → onDocumentCreated fires a Cloud Function → email notification is sent via the Gmail API.

• React Native
• Firebase
• Expo Go

ACCESS U-M is a fully functional mobile app being deployed to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Once live, any student, faculty member, or visitor at U-M will be able to download it for free and begin reporting barriers immediately.

• Empowers everyone — Turns every person on campus into an accessibility advocate.
• Drives data & action — Creates a direct channel of communication.
• Builds a more inclusive U-M — Informs decisions to make campus spaces, services, and digital tools work for everyone.

While traditional barrier reporting relies on outdated web forms and phone calls, ACCESS U-M empowers users to report accessibility barriers in seconds: turning silent frustrations into campus-wide change.