Local Guide Megan Coburn (@Kwiksatik), living in Seattle, Washington, USA, has been interested in accessibility since she was a teenager. She takes photos of accessible features and includes accessibility-specific paragraphs in her reviews, making this information more visible for the people who need it.
We recently caught up with Megan to learn more about her commitment to helping those with accessibility needs.
Why are you interested in accessibility? Is there a particular area in which you are interested in the most (wheelchair accessibility, vision accessibility, etc.)?
During my last few years of high school, I spent part of each day in âpeer tutoring.â In this class, I assisted with physical therapy, education, care, and companionship for students confined to wheelchairs.
One of my favorite things to do was take them for walks to see the grounds at our school. Đccessibility was a huge limiting factor in their ability to fully experience the outdoors. I became hyper-aware of where ramps were inside the schools, the height of door sills, sidewalk conditions, and especially of how poor snow/ice management can make a perfectly accessible landscape a hazardous one.
Why are you passionate about accessibility information being shown on Google Maps?
Accessibility information has durable value. If someone contributes it once while it is âon their mind,â it is useful for a long time afterward.
What area (mobility, vision, hearing, etc.) are you most interested in improving?
I am most interested in sharing information relating to age and quality of life: mobility (ramps) and clear signage. Ramps and clear signage benefit everyone from a mother with a stroller to the scooter-bound joint surgery patient, to those in wheelchairs. Clear signage (or help to find signage) is a social statement that these populations MATTER. They deserve clear, prominent, easy-to-find direction.
What do you wish other Local Guides knew about accessibility?
Every contribution matters. It might not feel like it today, but someday, to someone, every contribution matters. My life does not always allow me to donate the resources of time, money or materials to give back to my community in the way I want to. But I can help someone in a wheelchair plan their first night out in a long time, an LGBTQ friend find a unisex bathroom where they can tend to their needs in peace, a first-time mother find the brand of formula her baby needs, or someone with social anxiety find a coffee shop where nobody will bother them while they reacclimate to being in public. Accessibility is not only about being physically different. Invisible struggles are real struggles, too.
Whatâs your tip for finding your passion through the Local Guides program?
I have two tips.
-
To keep your passion fueled, contribute things which would have made a difference in your life at a time when you needed it. For me, this was adding information to Maps which would have helped me in my past, like whether or not a park had clean bathrooms for my children to use, did this restaurant parking lot have adequate lighting for me to feel safe walking to my car alone at night.
-
The world is full of frustrating news which is selected and written to flare up emotions. Instead of being discouraged or upset, I channel my urge to respond and take action into my reviews. Was someone refused service because they are "different?â I will make a point of mentioning inclusiveness at a location. Are local businesses struggling? I will make a point of giving detailed and thoughtful reviews for the next local business I visit knowing that it will bring them another customer in the future.
Are you passionate about making Maps more inclusive? Tell us how youâre making a positive impact in the comments below.