Local Guide Santosh Kumar ( @Kumaarsantosh ) is passionate about mapping wheelchair accessibility. He believes that the Local Guides program is a great platform to give back to society and help build “a well-informed community” together with other Google Maps contributors.
Having worked at multinational IT companies for over two decades, Santosh Kumar is now taking a break from the corporate world to pursue his love for photography, travel, cycling, and mentoring. You’ll see him explore places in and around Noida, India, where he currently lives, and anywhere his curiosity takes him!
Read on to learn more about how he contributes to accessibility on Google Maps.
Why are you interested in accessibility? Is there a particular area in which you are interested the most?
Accessibility is a vital element of our society. It adds to the quality of life of people with disabilities and older persons. It also gives comfort to their family members.
I mostly focus on wheelchair accessibility. I look for the wheelchair 
icon around a place and go inside to check the facilities. Sometimes, the icon is missing, but there is a ramp and an elevator, which provide accessibility.
What inspired you to start contributing accessibility information on Google Maps?
When I look around my neighborhood, I see a number of people with disabilities and older persons. They use Google Maps, so I thought I could help keep them well-informed about nearby places through my contributions. It gives me satisfaction when I update wheelchair accessibility information on Google Maps because someone somewhere is benefitting from that. I feel that this is one of the best ways to help society.
How do you help make accessibility information more visible on Google Maps?
There are many ways through which I do that, such as:
- Edit the features of a place to update the accessibility information.
- Answer accessibility-related questions for a specific business when prompted.
- Include details about the accessibility of a place when I write a review. I mention the availability of ramps, elevators, accessible parking
, and restrooms 
.
Do you have a favorite accessibility contribution? Why is it your favorite?
I have many favorite contributions, but one of them got me the Accessibility Challenge Winner badge. It is a review for BlueStone Jewellery in Noida.
Some Local Guides may think that looking for accessibility features and including that information in a review takes a lot of time. What is your experience?
Finding accessibility is quite easy and definitely not time-consuming.
Here is what I do. I visit a place with an open mind. Nowadays, wheelchair accessibility icons are prominently displayed, so I just look for them at the right places, such as the entrance gate, the parking area, the restrooms, the elevator, and so on. I also look for ramps.
It is no extra effort to find accessibility; we can proceed with our plans while simply looking around to capture accessibility information. Even if this adds a couple of minutes, it is worth doing. We have such a lovely opportunity to help our communities by including 1-2 lines of accessibility details in our reviews on Google Maps. It is even easier to update accessibility information via the ‘Edit feature’ function in the About tab of a business listing on Maps.
What’s your tip for finding your passion through the Local Guides program?
The program encourages us to explore a variety of aspects of our society — be it education, hospitality, travel, food, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and entertainment — and capture as much information as possible on Google Maps. It has also ignited my passion for 360-degree photography.
Although I only joined Connect in March 2023, six years after becoming a Local Guide, I find it is a great learning platform where you can also showcase your contributor talent. I love to help people with my knowledge and experience, so I answer queries and write posts about new features or changes to existing features I find in Google Maps.
And, on top of that, you become part of a global family on Connect. I would like to mention a few Local Guides who have influenced my contributions here: @ErmesT , @AdamGT , @MortenCopenhagen , @TusharSuradkar , @SholaIB , and @TravellerG .
Thank you for all you do, Santosh Kumar! Local Guides, do you include accessibility information in your contributions on Google Maps? Let us know below.
:probing_cane:, etc
