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If you’re rolling a wheelchair, stroller, or another wheeled form of transportation, you know what an obstacle a single step can present. Your best intentions of visiting a place can be dashed by confronting a staircase, curb, or steps, without other options.
Whether a place is accessible to wheelchairs can make the difference between a visit being a possibility or an impossibility.
About Accessible Places in Google Maps
In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Google Maps announced an update to its app on iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android. The update, called Accessible Places, shows locations that are accessible to those in wheelchairs. This information can also be helpful to those who are challenged with mobility, and those using wheelchairs, baby strollers, rolling carts, walkers, and items on wheels.
Google Maps Accessible Places shows places with wheelchair accessibility in over 15 million places around the world. In its announcement last week, Google said, “in this time of COVID-19, it’s especially important to know before you go so that you won’t be stranded outside that pharmacy, grocery or restaurant.”
Users of Google Maps can turn on Accessible Places in Settings to show places that are wheelchair accessible. With this setting enabled, users will see wheelchairs on Google Maps on places that are wheelchair accessible, including accessible seating, restrooms, and parking.
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How to Use Accessible Places in Google Maps
This video from Google Maps shows how Accessible Places works:
You must turn on Accessible Places in Google Maps for it to work on your app, it does not appear by default.
After you turn on Accessible Places, you’ll see wheelchair ions on locations that have entrances accessible to those in wheelchairs. You’ll also see which locations have been reported not to offer wheelchair accessibility.
When you tap on a listing for more information, you’ll see a wheelchair icon next to a section with information about what facilities are wheelchair accessible (parking, restrooms, entrance, seating, etc.).
How to Turn On Accessible Places in Google Maps
You must turn on Accessible Places in the Google Maps app to see wheelchair icons on maps. To turn on Accessible Places, first make sure your Google Maps app has been updated to the latest version.
Next, open the Google Maps app, go to Settings => Accessibility => Accessible Places => On. (With Google Maps on the iPhone, tap your profile image to open Settings.)
You should then see wheelchair icons on places that have entrances with wheelchair accessibility. You’ll also be able to see places where it has been confirmed there is not a wheelchair accessible entrance.
Google Maps is rolling out Accessible Places to its users. If you don’t see the option to turn on Accessible Places in Settings, then you don’t have that feature yet in Google Maps.
How Google Maps Gets Information About Wheelchair Accessibility
For Accessible Places, Google Maps uses crowdsourced information to identify wheelchair-accessible locations around the world. In 2017, Google Maps asked Local Guides to contribute this information to help others and people responded, and continue to respond, to help Google Maps inform users about wheelchair accessibility. Over 120 million Google Local Guides have contributed over 500 million accessibility updates to Google Maps to help make Accessible Places possible.
Business owners also have added information about their locations to Google Maps to let customers know about wheelchair accessibility.
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How You Can Contribute Information to Accessible Places
Google Maps is continuing to gather this important information to include more locations in Accessible Places. You can help make Accessible Places even more helpful to others by contributing information about whether a location is or is not accessible to those in wheelchairs.
Find out how to contribute accessibility information at the Google Maps blog: A better world for wheels on Google Maps. Business owners can learn how to add accessibility information about their locations at Google Business Help Accessibility Information.
Availability of Accessible Places
Accessible Places is rolling out on the Google Maps app on Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad) in Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Google Maps says that the availability of Accessible Places in additional countries is “on the way.”
Your Thoughts
Are you pleased that Google Maps has added Accessible Places to its app? Will you be turning on Available Places for your phone? Will you be contributing information to include more places in Google Maps’ Accessible Places?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
I am really pleased that Google Maps has added Accessible Places to its app. Great initiative
Hi Othman, Yes, this addition to Google Maps can help many people. Those using wheelchairs will benefit as well as many other can benefit from this information.
Oh wow, this is huge! Current times have made me lose more than a little faith in the human race. It’s good to be reminded that we can still do some things right!
Hi Iris, You’re right, this is huge. By providing this information, Google Maps is helping many people know whether a place will be accessible to them before they arrive. I hope even more places get included in Wheelchair Accessible Places on Google Maps.