accessibility

[propblur]

Recently, Local Guides were asked to answer accessibility questions.  I'd be more comfortable doing this, and the results would be MUCH BETTER if the questions were more specific.  OR a clear standard is posted (with the question please) defining what is meant by , and the standard for "accessible entrance" and "accessible parking".  These terms differ from state to state and country to country.

Clear standards and more specific questions will insure a more consistent and useful result.

I presume the goal is to aid accessibility by providing accurate information in advance.  And, on the business side, accurate information will help businesses who have taken the time and committed the investments that make this all work.

We should be very clear about the standards we are using to avoid judging any situation poorly.  Thank you.

[davidcox · Accepted solution]

@propblur  I agree with you completely and want to do it right. The specifications for what each item entails for accessibility is here. it is a PDF for an explanation that can be shared. It is pretty brief and I make my decisions when I am not sure in the negative. I am fine with the fact that the information published is crowd-sourced and my input may not be accepted. If I was handicapped would I be able to get in without being lifted etc?  There are a lot of older places that clearly are impossible, the ones I have a problem with are the ones where a wheelchair ramp is a long way away or blocked by stuff. 

Since they do not take just one answer a good choice at each location and made by multiple people will come up with a result that is informative for all. 

[YK1001]

Thank you for sharing the link to the PDF file, @davidcox!

[propblur]

Perfect!   Thank you for that pdf link!!!

[PWD_Accessibility]

It is good that you are taking the effort.  However the information given is insufficient to give the people a proper idea of what is required.

For example it mentions entrance should be without steps.  Ramps should be provided at least 1m wide. However it fails to mention that the ramp should have handrails.  Also 1m is narrower than the international standards set out by ISO and the UN or even by the national standard of the USA etc.  So it is actually giving wrong information.  What is worse is that it fails to even mention that the ramp should be less than 1:12 which should be the absolute maximum angle for a slope.

India you will see the most ridiculous slopes without handrails, no curbs and with slope of more than 1:6 ( double the maximum allowable angle).

Following the Guidelines given a person could unknowingly mark a building as accessible when actually the ramp is unusable.

[davidcox]

@PWD_Accessibility  I agree that the judgment of the access is very hard to do.  It is the least comfortable thing to do in this program since I am fortunately very mobile and not restricted.  I know there are extensive regulations on entrances and hope over time may be better information or videos are made for contributors. A number of years ago I was able to travel to Belgium and surrounding countries and was amazed at some of the entrances and stairs that people have to navigate. It was hard for a physically fit person to get a suitcase to the room let alone be disabled. I think it must have been impossible to navigate to conduct a normal life.  Now with this feature, it can give a person an indication of what to expect prior to visiting.  I hope more guides learn and get better with this information that you have posted. Thanks

[NumbGnat]

Thank you for opening this line of discussion. I am personally confined to a wheelchair.

Surprisingly these questions started popping up about a month after I submitted a fairly long and detailed feedback on Google Maps, regarding accessibility of businesses. I had identified that not all "accessible" hotel rooms, bathrooms, etc. are usable by every handicaped individual. For instance, my power chair is much larger than most manual wheelchairs. When using a restroom, I have to back my chair up next to the commode and slide myself over from my chair with a board. Other less disabled individuals can stand with the help of grab bars and turn around so they don't need a lot of space next to the commode.

I really wanted to see a universal set of "levels of accessibility", like a 1-5 scale, where 1 would accommodate an elderly person with a cane and 5 would accommodate a full quadriplegic needing a helper and lift to transfer, etc. A hotel for example, might have 4 level-1 rooms, 2 level-3 rooms and a level-4 room.

A system of this nature would allow people like me to actually plan a trip, places to eat, places to stay, etc. knowing that I'm going to be able to function in those environments. As it is today, I usually have to contact each establishment and have them text me photos so I don't wind up putting myself into a situation where I could be stuck or unsafe.

Until that happens, it would be nice if the Local Guide program could offer some sort of certification for handicap local guides like myself, so our feedback on the accessibility of locations could be weighted based on our personal awareness of just how accessible a place is.

I wouldn't even mind being identified as an accessible local guide with a little blue wheelchair ♿ icon next to, or integrated with my local guide badge. That way users requiring accessible facilities could pay special attention to reviews from "handicapable local guides".

I have begun giving lengthy reviews that speak specifically about my experience as a wheelchair bound individual. Hopefully those will help people, but I'm just one person and I don't travel often or very far.

Google could even make a whole section under a place's information dedicated to information about the accessibility of the place, so reviews and feedback from people like me are isolated from general feedback. The place might be very well reviewed by the masses but poorly reviewed by someone in a wheelchair, due to accessibility difficulties.

Anyway... I think there is huge room for growth in the collection of the accessibility information about places. 

[IsmailDf]

Thanks for the document instructions for determining accessibility. But some Local Guides seem lazy to determine, if not shown directly in the description. Few suggestions add information circle into beside of Accessibility menu. This is to ensure that the published information sourced from the crowd can be immediately approved.

[NumbGnat]

I agree with you Deaf!

If I understand correctly, you're suggesting that Google add an "info" icon ⓘ, to the Yes/No/NotSure questions relating to accessibility.

This would allow users to tap and view more information concerning the accessibility needs in question. Details like how to identify an accessible entrance or handicap parking spaces.

I'm not sure how many questions there are, related to accessibility, but there are some very specific questions a disabled person needs to know in order to plan ahead. For instance... I need a parking spot that has 8 feet of space on the side in order to have room for the ramp that comes out of the side of my vehicle. I can't use a standard handicap parking spot. I need one of the "van accessible" spots with the extra wide hashed area. In that case, the question regarding accessible parking should really be two questions.

1. "Does this place provide accessible parking?"
2. "Does this place provide van accessible parking?"

The ⓘ for question #2 could contain a diagram showing the Local Guide how to distinguish between the two. A simple top-down diagram illustrating something like this...

The space on the left is wide enough for a van with a ramp. The space on the right is intended for people that do not use a ramp.

Here's a good visual showing why this makes a difference... 

This is a good depiction of how wide the smaller 5ft (60"/1524mm) really is and how unusable it is for someone in a van with a side ramp.

[ArielleM_]

Hey @NumbGnat,

I've released your reply from spam. I do apologize for the confusion; our spam filters are a bit sensitive and even multiple edits can trigger a quarantine. If you're curious, you can learn more about that process here. 

Great post by the way! Thanks for sharing.