Many people don’t realise that Euan’s Guide is a charity. For over ten years, we’ve helped thousands of disabled people, families, and carers find accessible places to go, powered by donations, grants, and an incredible community.
This MND Awareness Day, we aren’t just sharing why your support matters. We are honouring the man who started it all, celebrating his extraordinary legacy, and remembering the story that inspired Euan’s Guide in the first place.
The night that changed everything
Back in 2013, Euan messaged his sister Kiki with a simple question:
“Some old colleagues are in town… shall we all go out for a drink?”
It should have been easy. But Euan was living with motor neuron disease (MND) and had recently become a wheelchair user. Suddenly, finding a place they could actually go became complicated. They needed to be able to get in the door, find a venue with an accessible loo, and go somewhere they would genuinely be welcomed.
Despite having lived in Edinburgh most of their lives, neither of them could think of a single place they felt confident about.
So, they stayed home. That moment felt frustrating, limiting, and completely unnecessary. It made them realise something important: if they felt this way, so did countless other disabled people.
Euan still wanted to enjoy the things he loved: football matches, live music, cafes… but everything now required endless research and guesswork. So, Euan and Kiki started building their own access directory. They knew other disabled people were doing the same thing - keeping mental lists, sharing tips, and helping each other quietly behind the scenes.
Those were the voices that mattered. And so, Euan’s Guide was born: a place where disabled people could share honest, useful reviews so no one else would have to stay home.
A legacy of impact: from accessibility to a cure
Euan’s impact doesn’t stop at disabled access information. When faced with his MND diagnosis, he didn't just fight for his own independence; he championed a better future for everyone affected by disabled access and people affected by MND.
With his father, Donald, Euan co-founded the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research at the University of Edinburgh. Today, it is a world-leading network of hundreds of scientists and clinicians dedicated to improving the lives of people with MND and leading groundbreaking clinical trials to find a cure. Their clinical trial, MND-SMART, is now Europe's largest MND clinical trial, a remarkable achievement by all.
Through both the Euan MacDonald Centre and Euan's Guide, Euan created a legacy of profound change, addressing the immediate, everyday needs of disabled people while simultaneously driving the medical science that will one day stop MND in its tracks.
Why we need your support this MND Awareness Day
We sadly lost Euan to MND in 2024, but his legacy lives on in our work every single day.
Today, Euan’s Guide is still a small charity with a mighty mission: to make the world more accessible for everyone.
Every review, every venue we help, and every improvement to our website is powered by our community. Your support on MND Awareness Day helps us:
- Expand disabled access information across the UK and beyond to prevent social isolation.
- Support disabled reviewers and volunteers by sharing and valuing their voices.
- Provide vital resources to help venues become genuinely welcoming and accessible.
- Keep Euan’s vision alive for the tens of thousands of people who rely on it.
If Euan’s Guide has helped you plan a trip, discover a new favourite place, or feel more confident going out, please consider supporting us today.
How you can help us continue Euan’s work
By sharing your experiences of disabled access, you give confidence to disabled people planning their trips.
By listing your venue on EuansGuide.com you show disabled people you care and value them as customers – while reaching an untapped and loyal market.
By ordering Red Cord Cards, you help us make accessible loos safer as part of our Safer Toilets campaign.
By giving monthly - even just a few pounds - you help us continue what Euan started - building a world where disabled people feel valued.
Thank you for being part of our community.
Together, we can make the world more accessible and keep Euan's incredible legacy moving forward.
Exciting news from Euan's Guide and MND Scotland
This MND Awareness Day, we also have some exciting news to share. Euan's Guide has been awarded a Gordon Aikman Scholarship from MND Scotland, and we are using it to build something we think Euan would have loved: a dedicated digital access guide for people living with MND in Scotland.
The Euan's MND Scotland Guide will help people with MND plan real journeys with confidence, whether that's finding an accessible place to eat near a clinic appointment, locating a Changing Places toilet, or simply having the information they need to keep doing the things that matter most.
It will be shaped by the people who need it most, and built on everything Euan started.
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