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Google Maps Adds Accessibility Features

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Google announced a new initiative that will help people with disabilities find more accessible destinations through Google Maps.

Read the full version of Google Maps Just Got a Lot More Accessible for People With Disabilities.

Read the full transcript:

Google Maps Just Got a Lot More Accessible for People With Disabilities

Google announced a new initiative to help people  find more accessible locations.

It will now allow users to add whether or not locations are accessible through Google Maps.

“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.” -Shiva Thiagarajan and Rio Akasaka, Google Product Managers

“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.”

Venue accessibility information includes wheelchair-accessible:

  • entrances
  • elevators
  • seating
  • parking

So far, accessibility information has been added to over 7 million locations.

To use, open the business listing, click the description and scroll down to the accessibility section.

Let others know how accessible the location is.

Google is not the first company to show how accessible locations are, although it is the largest.

Originally published: July 13, 2017
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