2022
Hello Local Guides!
We’re all aware that why accessibility information is important in Maps? Because we want to ensure that people in wheelchair can have a useful and usable platform they can depend on to move around, be it information about a place, walking paths, public transportation and more. In this meet-up, our group focused on the places of the most and frequented tourist spots in the heart of Vientiane to add accessibility information.
I’ve encourage my daughter to walk with me since I’m not so sure that how many local guides who signed up will showing-up! We’ve arrived 15 minutes before and wait for other to come… until 15:30 pm then only 1 local guide (Ms Pa) shown-up and then we start our walk.
We’ve started at the Si Muang Temple (https://goo.gl/maps/jghnHWZ9gAer8E3P8) the most holy and popular for the Buddhist coming for praying and making merit and we’ve founded that the public toilet was no way for wheelchair accessing also the temple itself because of the very old design of architect, the wasted/trash were not organize also the parking which it’s not good looking for the tourist’s eyes!! I’ve talked to a monk and got the answer that the temple could not organize the car park since it’s very limited of road side parking and the trash will be clear-off after evening time.
Then we process to the Si Muang Park which the landmark and King Sawangvong’s statue and I just founded that this park was no any wheelchair accessed (so sad that the public park but they don’t think about disabled)
We crossed the road to check out the oldest gas station in Vientiane which originally Shell petrol station since 1973 and now a day transformed to PV petrol station which the public toilet was not friendly to wheelchair and the main door of mini mart were not wheelchair accessible! Compare to other PTTL petrol station were perfectly for wheelchair accessibility specific car park, ramps and public toilet with clear sign for accessibility.
We walk up along the Samsenthai road mapping, editing and add photos in to the places and founded that most of the shops/places in general were not wheelchair friendly only few building that has wheelchair/ramps accessible so we ended our walk at around 6:00 pm.
Thank you to Emeka Ulor @EmekaUlor Google Local Guide team and our many other worldwide accessibility champions who continue to encourage others to contribute accessibility information to Maps to make the world a better place for all.
Read more about wheelchair accessibility in Google Maps here by our good friend and accessibility champion Sasha Blair @Sashabg who works for Google. https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/wheelchair-users-google-maps
Here is the album of walk https://photos.app.goo.gl/i8zKkpoWxNQE9LaZ6
#localguides #localguidesconnect #accessibility #oneaccessibility #ongooglemaps #Vientiane #Laos
