2022
- last edited on by
AriMar
Local Guide Alejandra is a psychologist from Ayamonte, Spain who is passionate about helping others. She’s a school counselor who works with kids who are deaf, have visual impairments, or use wheelchairs. She helps them find the accessibility resources they need at school.
“As a counselor, I can see that with minimal changes we can make a better world accessible to ALL of us,” Alejandra told us.
Being a Local Guide is one of the ways she tries to reach that goal. She often adds helpful accessibility information to her reviews, hosts accessibility meet-ups, and mentions wheelchair accessibility in videos she creates.
We recently interviewed Alejandra to learn more about her mission to make the world a more inclusive place. Below are her responses which have been lightly edited for clarity.
What have you done to help add accessibility information or generate visibility for accessibility information to/for Google Maps?
Every time I share a new review, I take wheelchairs into consideration. For example, if there is accessible parking or a restroom at least one meter wide and without steps. I like to upload photos that shows these features, too.
Now, I have started to include information for people with visual impairments, too. For example, if an elevator has the numbers written in Braille too.
What area (mobility, vision, hearing, etc.) are you most interested in improving?
I am interested in improving all these areas (mobility, vision, hearing), because all human beings are important. They have the opportunity to learn if a place is suitable for them [through info on Google Maps] and make a decision about where to go.
With these kind of photos and reviews, we make society think about [accessibility] and start to take it into consideration too. If other Google Maps users see these kind of reviews and photos, perhaps will upload and review this way too. That’s what happened to me and I’m continuously trying to improve.
What's your favorite Google Maps feature?
I really love the questions about accessibility because I can see that this is an important topic and reminds me to continue adding this information.
What do you wish other Local Guides knew about accessibility?
I will remark that accessibility is important to ALL of us because we ALL benefit from it. An accessible place is a place easy to get into, with a comfortable restroom and wider elevator. It’s easy [to navigate] with wheelchairs, kids, and older people. I would like to encourage all Local Guides to write reviews and upload photos that show these aspects because one day all of us will need it.
What one feature would you like to see on Google Maps?
Now, we can see questions to answer about mobility, [but] it would be great to have others about vision and hearing, too. In Spain, in some places, we can see [lists] about meals [and] ambience [on the Explore tab]. I would add another one about accessibility.
Are you passionate about accessibility? In the comments below, tell us how you do your part to make the world more accessible for all.
