Bridging the Gap

Meet the entrepreneur making Iceland more accessible

- Claire Sibonney

LATE ONE NIGHT in July 2020 in Reykjavik, where the sun never fully sets in summer, Haraldur (Halli) Thorleifsson was wandering around the city’s main shopping street with his wife and two kids. It was shortly after they had moved from the United States back to his home country; they were jet-lagged and couldn’t sleep.

During their walk, his three-year-old son was thirsty and wanted a drink from the corner store. But Thorleifsson soon discovered he couldn’t help with the simple request: A 20-centimetre step blocked his access to the store.