Accessible Life - Connect Live 2019

Google Maps contribution stories
1

My name is Ermes, I’m a level 8 Local Guide

I live in Italy, near Venice, which is one of the least accessible Cities in the world

Caption - a 360° camera, capturing a photo of a path on an Italian Park - Local guide @ermest
Caption - a 360° camera, capturing a photo of a path on an Italian Park - Local guide @ermest3000×2250 1.94 MB

Disability is not something that you choose to know. When it happened to my Mom, years ago, I literally discovered a new way to look at the world.

Steps, stairs, and rough paths are now obstacles for her.

Helping her, I learned how to look for ramps, lifts, or for accessible paths. This is now automatic for me.

Caption: a beach weelchair, a wooden pathway, a ramp for disabled, a disabled grab handle on a public restroom, an accessible restroom, a parking space for disabled people, a lifter "for disabled only", a sign indication the position of a ramp, and a sign indicating a lifter for disabled people - Local Guide @ermest
Caption: a beach weelchair, a wooden pathway, a ramp for disabled, a disabled grab handle on a public restroom, an accessible restroom, a parking space for disabled people, a lifter "for disabled only", a sign indication the position of a ramp, and a sign indicating a lifter for disabled people - Local Guide @ermest2047×2047 929 KB

Parking lots, accessibility restrooms, and wheelchairs ramps are now highlighted in my photos and reviews on Google Maps

I love nature, and I want it accessible FOR EVERYONE.

On September 2017, during a Meet-up on Vettore Mountain, I discovered a path for wheelchair at 1600 meters above sea level. In that very moment I started to think about the possibility, for my mom, to discover and enjoy nature in a safe, accessible way.

The view of that pathway literally changed my way of approaching natural areas

Caption: A Local Guide walking in the last part of a pathway for weelchair, on the middle of Sibillini mountains, at 1600 meters above sea level - Local Guide @ermest
Caption: A Local Guide walking in the last part of a pathway for weelchair, on the middle of Sibillini mountains, at 1600 meters above sea level - Local Guide @ermest3200×2400 2.79 MB

Six month later I bought my 360 camera, a ThetaV and, after a few days, I added my first accessible park, with a wooden pathway along my river.

I discovered my next accessible park in California, just after Connect Live 2018. I took a lot of 360 photo in there. One of them is my most viewed 360 photo

Caption: a wheelchair available for visitors, at the entrance of the Muir Wood National Park - California - Local Guide @ermest
Caption: a wheelchair available for visitors, at the entrance of the Muir Wood National Park - California - Local Guide @ermest3888×2916 1.3 MB

I am now adding 360° photos of accessible parks. In this way a disabled person will be able to explore them on Street View.

I will be happy to receive from all of you links of other accessible parks, so to add them on my: List of Accessible parks and on Mymap of accessible parks

Caption: wooden pathways of Italians accessible parks, added on Google Maps by the Local Guide @ermest
Caption: wooden pathways of Italians accessible parks, added on Google Maps by the Local Guide @ermest2047×2047 1.22 MB

I’m very proud of this, because by helping my Mom I’m helping millions like her.

Connect Live 2019 will be a great opportunity for highlighting accessibility activities

See you in San Josè

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Wonderful post @ErmesT , I love all these accessibility related matters what you have mentioned in your post. all the best :slight_smile:

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Thank you @IlankovanT

I am surprised that you found the post :slight_smile:

Yes, I know that accessibility related matters are always important for you, and you always care about accessibility

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Great experience @ErmesT sir

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Thank you @QaziJunaid

Google Maps is a good tool, when you have to deal with disability. We can really help people, contributing on it

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@ErmesT Accessibility is definitely a good cause to care about. I love what you are doing to make thing easy for people with disability. Good luck for CL19. I hope to meet you there. ha ha. My post for CL19.

P.s I really liked the photo of the Sibillini mountains. It is so well composed and pleases the eyes.

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Well done @SaifIS , and well in advance.

The photo of Sibillini mountais was taken during one of our Meet-ups (we usually have two meet-ups in two consecutive days, as Sibillini Mountains are at five hours drive to my home) related to our support to the earthquake related issues.

The area of Castelluccio di Norcia is quite famous in Italy, even if the town is completely distroyed

Caption: Castelluccio di Norcia - September 2017 - Local Guide @ermest
Caption: Castelluccio di Norcia - September 2017 - Local Guide @ermest2916×3888 2.18 MB

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@ErmesT What a wonderful post, Your love to your mother and keep searching for places that she can go touched my heart.

Wish you all the best for the Connect Live 2019!

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Brilliant post @ErmesT

Its morning here in Calcutta and I am on my way to duty. Reading your comnect post in bus makes me happy.

Wish you the very best!

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Hello @ErmesT ,

You make my day with another wonderful post by you.

“I’m very proud of this, because by helping my Mom I’m helping millions like her.”

I Love that sentence, because I feel same whenever I uploaded any photo of Accessible place, or writing review and mentioned it Accessibility friendly, I always think about my father, and I feel happy that he is not with us, but I m helping people like him.

Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful post .

Shurkiya :pray:

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Thank you @AnuradhaP

We have a wonderful world just around us. We don’t see most of the obstacle that are surrounding su, just because we cal walk, we can climb a stair, and normally we believe that, if we can, everyone can.

If in the future, during your mapping, you see an accessible pathway, (it doesn’t really matter if with an accessible sign or not) just let me know. I will add it on the map

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Reading your feedback made MY day @DrShaunak

With your job, you deal with this kind of difficult every day. So your reply is very very important for me.

Have a wonderful day

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Thank you @KashifMisidia

BTW, reading again my post, I think that the true sentence is

“I’m very proud of this, because by helping my Mom I’m helping my future life.”

Disability is something that can happen to everyone of us. Thinking to this, we can prepare a better world today, for a having better life tomorrow

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@ErmesT the accesible parks in Sibilini and other places are an epitome of what every park should be.

Thanks for sharing and I hope every city starts doing this. Let’s leave no one behind.

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15

Thank you @EmekaUlor

I would love to receive a feedback from the community about places that they know, to add them to the “accessible life” map.

For a disabled person, to have the possibility of enjoying Nature is very important, and sometimes it is very simple to help. We just need to decide to do it :slight_smile:

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@EmekaUlor , @SaifIS

this is a view from the Sibillini’s pathway

Caption: Vettore mountain surrounded by clouds
Caption: Vettore mountain surrounded by clouds3888×2916 975 KB

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Hi @ErmesT !

I love your post and I am very happy to have meet your mum . I liked seeing how she stuck her tongue out :)))))

Congratulations for this wonderful post and for sharing with us this important part of your life.

You are very involved with accessibility and as you said, making contributions in Google Maps you are helping a lot of people with similar circumstances.

Great Job!

Good Evening from the South of Spain,

Alejandra.

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Well, we are ready to help add One Billion Accessibility information to the maps!:ok_hand:

And Sabilini looks super fine! :blush:

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@ErmesT Very appreciated. You showed all beautiful Accessible places and facilities from your City.

These are such as the great example of how accessibility friendly your country is.

Keep inspiring!

Happy Guiding!

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Thank you @ShafiulB

I added accessibile places of which I have personal experience, both in Italy and on the Bay area (California), but I will be happy to receive more feedback from other countries, to create a maps for people that want to travel. Disability should not be a reason for staying away of the nature

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