[Accessibility] Routing and accessibility

[Lulu-Ann at gmx.de]

Hello List,
Hello Francois,

Francois wrote:
> As a potential user, I wonder if the routing evaluation takes into account
> singular point that are difficult for visually impaired people. It could
> be a huge cross road, a non accessible lift. I would appreciate to be able
> to have a route avoiding me to pass at some difficult point.

Yes, we are able to put the following objects into the map already:

1. Traffic signals for pedestrians, with information if they have sound, vibration, mini map and/or direction arrow.

2. Tactile paving

3. Speech output (for vending machines)

4. Braille writing (in elevators, on handrails etc)

5. Tactile models and maps

6. general hints for visually impaired persons (Descriptions for blind)
You might want to annotate fountains without borders here, or missing handrails, or maybe objects of interest like museums with guided tours for blind persons.

Note: It is possible to put these objects into the map. That does not mean, that these objects are already in the map, because OpenStreetMap is filled by volunteers. If a beginner has filled the map in an area, it is likely that he did not know how to insert such objects into the data.
And you can never be sure that the data is up to date, even if it is updated minutely, of course not every change is notices by a volunteer immediately.

But we are working on a solution for blind and visually impaired persons to edit the map themselves, and to mark errors in case they don't know how to edit the map.
So we are expecting the community to enter such "danger zones" into the data themselves.
That is better than in all other map data sources, where you are not able to change or correct the data at all, and where you get an update only once a year.

A non accessible elevator would be attributed with "no braille, no embossed printed letters, no speach output, wheelchair (yes/no)".
It would not be used in our recommended pedestrian routes, except you decided to accept it on the route because the route is much shorter then.
(Similar like a car driver can tell the software to use or not use toll bridges for navigation).

Francois, can you make a list of object types that you want to have in the map? Let us know!

You find all existing considerations about OpenStreetMap for visually impaired people listed in our category "Visual Impairment":

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Category:Visual_Impairment

Best regards
Lulu-Ann

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