Crowdsourced Accessibility Mapping

The practice of using contributions from members of the public to identify, report, and map accessibility barriers and features in physical or digital environments. In urban contexts, crowdsourced accessibility mapping typically involves mobile applications that allow citizens to photograph and categorise issues such as broken sidewalks, missing curb cuts, inaccessible building entrances, or obstructed pathways. The collected data, geolocated via GPS, can be aggregated into accessibility maps that help people with disabilities plan routes and help city administrators prioritise infrastructure improvements. Examples include platforms like Wheelmap, AccessNow, and IBM Sidewalks.