Meet Accessibility Champion, Katty

[DeniGu]

Caption: A photo of Local Guide Katty smiling and an illustration with the word “Katty” inside a blue frame with accessibility symbols.

Meet Katty (@KattyGeltmeyer), a Local Guide living in Leuven, Belgium, who shares helpful information for people with impaired vision on Google Maps. As a blind person herself, she understands that things like website readability and staff attitude can make a world of a difference when deciding where to go and what to do.

Read on to learn more about Katty and how she contributes to accessibility on Google Maps. 

How did you become a Local Guide and what’s your proudest contribution?

I started actively contributing on Google Maps in 2022. My first real action as a Local Guide was adding a sculpture by Liliane Versluys, a lawyer and a sculptor in Leuven, who's also part of a local women's liberation organization. She created a statue, which was erected in 2021 and has the name, “The unknown wartime woman – Peace needs women.” 

I wanted to support this initiative when I found that the statue wasn't on Google Maps. I asked @ErmesT if a sculpture could be added as a point of interest, and he gave me some tips.

I'm proud that I managed to add the statue. Blind people don't use the mouse or see images; they can only read the written content. Placing a pin on the map is therefore impossible.

After that, I discovered that many statues and other points of interest have incorrect names or categories on Google Maps, so I started to edit them. I received advice from @JanVanHaver and @ErmesT about what to do and how to do it. And so my adventure began.

Caption: A photo of Katty and Lieven, her future husband with whom she shares a love for nature, culture, and cats, at the marina in Roses, Spain. (Courtesy of Local Guide @KattyGeltmeyer)

What do you do to generate visibility for accessibility information on Google Maps?

I try to write informative reviews, describing what I find accessible about a place. Accessibility consists of many aspects. For example, I am fond of a local restaurant and I find it accessible, but it's not accessible for wheelchair users. The accessibility of that place is not related to the building but to the website and the help of the staff.

What makes a review helpful to people with impaired vision?

When writing a review, I consider the question: “What would I like to know about this place?”. 

If there’s a public transport stop nearby, please mention it. (It's even better if the business owner indicates this on their website.) If the website is accessible to the blind, mention it. If the acoustics are good or bad, if the menu is readable on the website or has a large and readable font in the printed version, mention it. If the staff is willing to cut the meat or give other assistance, this can make a difference and turn a bad visit into a good one. 

So, if you know about this info, write it in your review. Be as descriptive as possible. But also, be honest: if an experience wasn't your cup of tea, describe why it wasn't. Here’s an example with my review of the Three Monkeys in Leuven. 

What do you wish other Local Guides knew about accessibility?

Accessibility can be both subtle and visible, and people with disabilities are as different as people with no disabilities. If a place follows the rules for universal design, there is a big chance that most people can visit it. But placing one plaquette with braille on it won't change anything if the rest of the place is inaccessible or the staff is unfriendly.

Thank you for all you do, Katty! To show our appreciation for your efforts and those of the 40+ Local Guides we’ve featured in our “Accessibility Champion” series so far, we’re launching a new Connect badge. It shows a white silhouette with open arms in a blue pin with five orange stars above its head.

Caption: An illustration of the new Accessibility Champion badge showing a white silhouette with open arms in a blue pin with five orange stars above its head.

[KattyGeltmeyer]

@DeniGu: Thanks for the article you wrote about me and thanks for the badge. But I unfortunately must correct one of the things mentioned:

Sorry, the only image I posted has nothing to do with the sculpture I started my local guiding with. The sculpture got pictures, but not posted by me. The picture I posted was the one within my review about "shakespeare and Compagny" (I deleted this picture, because it didn't show what I thought it was showing). Update: thanks for the edit. But I'm wondering why I can't find the captions of the pictures. Or are there no pictures used within your article about me =no captions visible in the article?

[Tushar_Suradkar]

Congratulations @KattyGeltmeyer 💐

Thank you for the insights into the additional points that one can add to a review to aid the differently abled and vision-impaired local guides.

Thank you @DeniGu for the new badge.

The design will inspire more local guides to embrace the need to include accessibility information in their review with open arms and an open mind.

[BudiFXW]

Hai @DeniGu .

Thank you for introducing @KattyGeltmeyer ,I have several conversation with her in recent month but I do not know that she has vision disability.

I have a corioust question for Katty.

In my home country publec area use yellow tactile paving for helping people with impaired vision.

Is this yelow tactile paving is really help, several time i will ask the same question in commuter line station, but usually and immediatelly they get some help from other to guiding out of the station by holding their hands.

Once i ask people with impaired vision accompanying by some one, the answer is I never use the yellow tactile paving, it much easier wiht someone who always assit me.

[NareshDarji]

Congratulations @KattyGeltmeyer

🎉♿🏆

Thank you @DeniGu for the new badge 😊.

[KattyGeltmeyer]

@BudiFXW: if such tactile info on pavements is helpfull or not depents from person to person. In most of the situations I walk routes, there are no such artificial tactile pavement things. I use whatever tactile info is helping me: walls, different types of stones (gravel, cobbles, flackstones, earth, ...) and other things that can help (scents, sounds, ...). I only walk routes someone learnt me how to walk them. I walk from point a to point b to point c ... and if I miss one of them, I'm lost.

If such tactile info is present and I can use it, I'll do, but I won't trust them blindly as others often place objects etc. on these tactile lines etc. You always must be totally focused, avoid distractions and combine all info you get for finding your way. So, I only can answer your question from my personal opinion: they can be helpfull, but if you don't use other info and only trust on such tactile info, you could be in big trouble because others don't respect the lines and place objects on them. Another thing that's important is: does the visually impaired person to whom you ask this question walk this route frequently? If not, someone helping you is more efficient. If the route is walked regularly (every day or every week) such info as the tactile strips and rubber carpet etc. can be of any help, because you learnt where they are, how to use, ... they become a fixed part of the route. But if you walk this place a few times during a year and there is much crowd ... you better can ask for help. The more you use a route, the better you are able to walk it. But sometimes the situation is so crowdy, so complex, ... and if you are tired, not concentrating, ... this all can influence the situation and can change the choice of the person.

[SholaIB]

Hello @KattyGeltmeyer 

Congratulations for the featuring here on connect and for your usefulness on Google maps.

Thank you @DeniGu we appreciate your goodnews always and the behind the scenes efforts.

To other accessibility champions like @Tushar_Suradkar @EmekaUlor etc. Congratulations 

Cheers 

[EmekaUlor]

@KattyGeltmeyer co grstulations. You are a true accessibility champion. Your shared experiences here on Connect has added loads of knowledge on accessibility and inclusion. I have personally learnt from you and I am glad you are even making more impact on maps. 

Keep guiding. 

Emeka 

[NirmalTeja]

Congratulations @KattyGeltmeyer as a accessibility champion

@DeniGu thank you for sharing with us...

[Kumaarsantosh]

Many congratulations @KattyGeltmeyer . I have noticed many significant contributions and posts from your side which are quite useful for the community.

You are an active contributor.

Thanks @DeniGu for awarding Accessibility Champion title to Katty. She is outstanding.