The Google Maps app now indicates if a location is
"accessible" to wheelchair users. Here's how it
works: users can now click on various storefronts and other public
places within the mobile app, and it will say whether the locations
have accessible entrances. The information is listed under the
"Amenities" section for each business.
This is not the first time that someone has attempted to provide
information about the accessibility of businesses, as we
previously reported, but the fact that this is a project
powered by Google means it will likely produce information on many
more businesses. It raises quite a few questions:
Is the information reliable? It is our understanding that
the information comes from "Local Guides" – users
who answer questions in exchange for early access to new Google
features. After collecting data over this past year, Google
recently added the accessibility information to its popular Google
Maps App. We have very serious concerns
