We already talked about accessible tours in Berlin in a previous post dedicated to Creative Accessibility Tours. This time we want to congratulate the Berliner Start Up: Wheelmap.org for its initiative and we would like to recommend it to our guests, not only those who use a wheelchair or are accompanying someone with reduced mobility, but also for for parents pushing baby strollers.
Wheelmap.org is an online, worldwide map for finding and marking wheelchair accessible places, developed by the German nonprofit organisation Sozialhelden e.V. since 2010.
Anyone can find and add public places to the map and rate them according to a simple traffic light system. Currently almost 600,000 public places worldwide can be found on the map. About 300 new places are added on a daily basis. Wheelmap ist available in 22 languages on the website and as an app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Anyone can mark Points of Interest (bus stations, restaurants, cinemas, museums, banks, government offices, etc.)
The markings are inserted by using the simple traffic light system:
- Green: Wheelchair accessible (Miniloft Kreuzberg would be listed in this category)
- Yellow: Restricted wheelchair accessible (Miniloft Mitte would be listed as yellow)
- Red: Not wheelchair accessible
Places that have not yet been rated on their wheelchair accessibility are marked gray. They can be marked quickly and easily by anyone, without prior registration. Registered users can add photos or comments with further details about the wheelchair accessibility of a place.
You can also get involved by organizing a Mapping event #mapmyday by your own or with your organization. Wheelmap will provide you with all the information you need to support you in planning the details of the event.
