Building a map for everyone

Many of us take for granted simple things like walking through a doorway, taking the stairs to the next floor, or always having a comfortable seat at a restaurant table. But for tens of millions of people worldwide, those very things aren’t possible unless a place has a wheelchair accessible entrance, elevator or accessible seating. Today we’re introducing a new way to add accessibility details about places to Google Maps and Search.

For those like Luis Duran, who are passionate about helping people better navigate and explore his city––this tool is for you. When you want to share accessibility information about a place or add details about many places quickly, just open Google Maps on Android, open the main menu, and then tap “Your contributions.” Tap “Uncover missing info” and sort by “Accessibility” to find places around you that are missing this kind of information so you can start filling it in. You can also sort by different categories in case you have other information to add as well.

When you need to find out whether a place you’re planning to visit has any of these accessibility features, just find the place on Google Maps (desktop, mobile) or Search (mobile), open the business listing, tap the two-line description, and then scroll down to the accessibility section. If we know the place lacks a feature, you'll see a no symbol next to it. From here, you can also add your accessibility and other local knowledge by tapping “Know what features this place has?”

The accessibility attributes you can choose from include: wheelchair-accessible entrances, wheelchair-accessible elevators, wheelchair-accessible seating, and wheelchair-accessible parking. Unsure of how to answer these questions? Here’s a handy guide. If you want to find other Google Maps users who are equally passionate about sharing their knowledge of the world, join the Local Guides program.

With the help of users, we’ve been able to add accessibility information to nearly 7 million places around the world. By sharing your local knowledge, you’re helping us get even closer to enabling everyone, everywhere to easily discover and explore the places that best suit their individual needs.