3 Accessibility Apps Google Maps Could Learn from to Help Wheelchair Users
Google Maps has made a step forward for inclusivity.
An app update released last month now shares whether some locations are wheelchair accessible. You can view this information by clicking on a venue’s description, which then brings up details on amenities and payment options.
For wheelchair users and people who struggle with stairs, this may come as a welcome relief. Scouting out venues, calling ahead, or using Google streetview to find accessibility info can be a pain — or simply not good enough. Having these details integrated into a popular app can save time and stress — not to mention the disappointment of arriving somewhere you mistakenly thought you’d be able to enter.
Although it’s a good move that acknowledges people with mobility impairment, the feature gives scant information. For example, it will tell if a location’s entrance is wheelchair accessible, but it doesn’t explain why or offer other details on inside amenities. I still must give props to Rio Akasaka, the Google employee behind the update. He developed the feature under the company’s 20 percent policy, which encourages workers to use 20 percent of their time on personal projects.
But there are other resources and apps available that do a better job breaking down accessibility info. The tech giant should take a cue from the following projects.
Access Earth
Matt McCann, an Irish man with cerebral palsy, created Access Earth after booking a hotel that said it was wheelchair accessible. It wasn’t, he discovered, when he showed up and couldn’t get his rollator walker up the three-step entrance or into his room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmht_Wpvbo4
I downloaded the iPhone app and searched nearby locations on the Access Earth website. I found the latter was easier to navigate and showed more access information. It’s a handy resource that I wish were around earlier, and I expect will only improve as more people use it and leave reviews.
AccessNow
To date, the AccessNow platform ranks nearly 9,000 places across 30 countries. Pins on an interactive map show whether a venue is accessible, partially accessible, patio access only, or not accessible. Contributors can also write descriptions. Both the iOS app and website are easy to navigate (speaking as someone who is not visually impaired), making this project my favourite for user experience.
https://twitter.com/AccessNowApp/status/691807458860363777
Toronto photographer Maayan Ziv, a woman with muscular dystrophy, founded AccessNow. According to the CBC, the app launched in 2014 during the Parapan Am Games and was developed at a tech startup incubator at Ryerson University.
AbleRoad
Since 2012, AbleRoad has acted as a community review and ratings forum on accessible locations. If it becomes popular enough, it could provide great feedback for global venues. However, most of the reviews appear to be for places in the United States, so there’s still a lot of room for the platform to grow.
Able Road has a website and an app, which allow you to search locations under several categories (i.e.,. Restaurants, nightlife, shopping) and you can refine your preferences further based on specific mobility, sight, hearing, and cognitive needs.
Image source: geralt
