Collecting data about the accessibility of places: what should we be collecting?

The first worldwide report on disability identified several broad barriers for people worldwide. One of these barriers is a lack of accessibility. Standard guidelines for the design and construction of accessible environments have been implemented since the 1960s, but they do not cover the built environment that already exists. Consequently, when traveling to an unfamiliar place, people with disabilities (and others) cannot expect the spaces to be accessible to them. In lieu of the total removal of barriers, which may never be achieved, some information tools may help with feelings of independence and some researchers claim that access to information about the environment is even more important than removing physical barriers. There are existing sources of information about accessibility, however, they often lack clear criteria to describe accessibility, especially for different types of disabilities or ranges of ability and preference within disability groups. Additionally, each person with a disability has unique interactions with the built environment that impact accessibility including both barriers and facilitators to mobility. This talk will discuss the importance of collecting information about accessibility and share a set of criteria for collecting data related to the accessibility of public places like restaurants, doctors offices, government offices, etc. The hope is that this criteria can be used both locally by local enthusiasts and globally international technology companies to collect and share data about the accessibility of everyday places so people traveling to those locations can make more informed decisions about that location’s accessibility.