Euan MacDonald MBE - Founder of Euan's Guide

An adventurer, rugby fan and whisky enthusiast, Euan MacDonald MBE is co-founder of disabled access charity Euan’s Guide, the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research, and SpeakUnique.

Following Euan’s Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis in 2003, Euan and his father Donald resolved to do whatever they could to ensure MND research was brought to the forefront of people’s minds. Having both come from an investment background, Euan and Donald approached a group of key researchers at the University of Edinburgh to establish in 2006 what is now the thriving and internationally recognised research centre for MND, the Euan MacDonald Centre.

The centre’s mission is to improve the outcomes for people living with Motor Neuron Disease and related conditions through research. A not-for-profit charitable network of over 200 researchers across Scotland, the centre undertakes research in lab and patient centred projects including the MND-SMART clinical trial, the largest ever clinical trial in MND in the UK. We’re incredibly proud to work with the Euan MacDonald Centre whenever we can and support them in the vital work they do.

As part of their work with the Euan MacDonald Centre, Euan and Donald went on to establish SpeakUnique in 2012 with The Centre for Speech Technology Research. The team at SpeakUnique develop voice banking technology that allows people to create a personalised synthetic voice simply and quickly for use in communications aids. This means people can retain their identity and communicate in a voice that sounds like their own, even when natural speech isn’t possible. It’s also utilised by people who are at risk of losing the ability to speak through illness, and by those with impaired or unintelligible speech. SpeakUnique work with people living with conditions such as MND, and Euan himself uses this technology, which combines his own and his brother’s voice. In 2019, SpeakUnique formed as a University of Edinburgh spin-out company to be able to offer personalised synthetic voices as a service.

As if he wasn’t busy enough researching Motor Neuron Disease and finding solutions for people living with MND, Euan and his sister Kiki set up Euan’s Guide in 2013. We’re a small but mighty charity – we’ve won awards, made over 125,000 accessible toilets safer through our Red Cord Card scheme, and our latest Access Survey had over 7,500 people taking part to share their experiences and thoughts on disabled access.

We're best known for our website, EuansGuide.com, where disabled people, their families, friends and carers can find and share the accessibility of venues around the UK and beyond. The website shares thousands of experiences and is the go-to tool for many disabled people.

Tens of thousands of people across the UK and beyond use EuansGuide.com every month to find and share disabled access information. We’re often told that just one review from someone with similar access requirements can give someone else enough confidence to visit somewhere new, and in our 2022 Access Survey 51% of respondents reported that reviews from other disabled people improve their confidence when visiting new places, and 46% said they’ve visited somewhere new after reading a review on EuansGuide.com.

Euan says he set up Euan’s Guide after a series of personal experiences. “When I was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in 2003 it was the start of a journey for me and my family and friends. MND is a progressive condition, so each year has thrown up different physical challenges. I have gone from being ambulant disabled to a manual chair user and now a powerchair user. I also use EyeGaze, a software that allows the user to communicate by operating the system by looking at rectangular keys and holding their gaze to activate a key. I had to adapt to the physical environment around me. I couldn't have faced and overcome these challenges without family and friends - and it was experiences gained with them that inspired me, my sister Kiki and my dad Donald to set up Euan's Guide.

“The website is all about sharing. We want to share the knowledge we have built up, and also learn from others. As my access requirements changed, we developed a list of go-to places in and around Edinburgh which we knew had good access. We knew other people did the same, but there was no platform for us or them to share this.

“We knew what the problem was, and technology provided the solution. We started the process of setting up a website and the first meeting was held round our kitchen table in early 2013. Like many start-ups we came to it without experience - we just had our idea. With a little bit of courage, jobs were left behind and Euan's Guide became a full-time project once we received our charity status. Our mission wasn’t to make a profit, but to build something that could help disabled people by and taking the stress out of going places and trying new things.

“Eventually, we set up in our own office – one that was on the ground floor and wheelchair accessible - surrounded by other creative types and tech start-ups in Edinburgh. Now we have a team of people who all care about sharing disabled access information. Together we moderate and publish reviews, write and share blog and social media posts, meet our amazing reviewers, hold events for our Ambassadors, and so, so much more!

“We are always encouraging disabled people to review the places they visit on EuansGuide.com and use the website to find first-hand experiences of disabled access at venues across the UK and beyond.

“Euan's Guide works best with as many reviews, reviewers and venues listed as possible. This means more people will be able to find information that is useful to them, whether they’re looking for a wheelchair accessible theatre in London or a step-free hotel in the Highlands. Every place that is reviewed will be sent whatever written about them, and as a result we are seeing change happening at all kinds of places. It could something as little as disentangling an emergency red cord, printing some large print food menus, or hiring a portable Changing Places toilet for a large event. We want to be a catalyst for change - and to make disabled peoples’ voices heard.”

We’re proud to be part of a team working towards making change in the world of disabled access, and we’re even prouder to be led by Euan as he continues to break down barriers of social exclusion, and support him in his research into MND.

Find out more about Motor Neuron Disease and MND Awareness Day on the MND Association's website.

Find out more about MND Scotland on their website.

Tags: MND, motor neuron disease, mnd awarness day, euan macdonald, euan's guide, euan macdonald centre for mnd research, speakunique, technology