Hy Local Guides,
Tomorrow is viewed as International Day of Persons With Disabilities ( December 3rd ). Apart from every “Celebrate …with me” posts you see, you will meet @Parashooter-Akhil ( Akhil )who is a parashooter in this post. I am doing this post today because you can plan an Accessibility walk/contribute more into Accessibility in your region tomorrow!
Before I start, I wanted to say my congratulations to every local guide who has contributed to Accessibility in Google maps. As I thought before, I planned to have an Accessibility walk on December 2nd. But then, I got to meet Akhil who I interviewed for this session! He is also a Local Guide and then I invited him to our Connect Community.
On December 3rd, contributing to Accessibility is totally good and also best time to contribute but we should know that, the day is for people who need that Accessibility we contributes.
Let’s welcome Akhil to our community!
Name : Akhil S Sam
From : Kattakada, Kerala, India
Started rifle shooting in 2019.
Latest Achievements:
- National level rifle parashooter
- Finished the latest Marathon by being the only wheelchair user.
- Last State Championship - Gold medal.
- Zonal competition at Pune - Bronze Medal.
- Qualified at National level and now waiting for selection trials to continue into the International.
Event: 10m Air Rifle Standing.
Questions:
- What do you have to say about the coming “ International Day of Persons with Disabilities” on December 3rd?
Answer : He said that there’s a lot of changes in Accessibility. He also shares that changes are happening in this field. He also points out that “ Ability to do” is what persons with disabilities show to the world. Campaigns and programs in part of these days are making people with disabilities more active in various fields.
- What are the challenges that persons with disabilities go through (in his perceptive)?
Answers: There are a lot of challenges facing people with disabilities. He said as he is an independent wheelchair user, he may not get enough Accessibility when travelling or accessing a business. He also added if you are an independent wheelchair user you have to park your car safely, carry your wheelchair down and be seated on it, navigate to the place and to find whether the place is accessible or not.
He also added one important Accessibility is “Accessible toilet entrance”. Challenges also encourage persons with disabilities to move forward and engage with their respective field.
- As you know, there are features in Google maps like wheelchair accessible entrance, accessible toilet, etc… What help did you get from using these features?
Answers : He said he also uses Google maps to search whether a business is accessible or not. He also added that he would find a business “wheelchair friendly” or not. Wheelchair Friendly means to move around in a wheelchair easily inside the business. He also said that the maps help him to navigate and are also a part of his life when he travels.
- What is your dream?
Answer: He says his biggest dream is for Paralympics and to get settled and be independent.
New keyword to include in your reviews:
- Wheelchair friendly- means there’s enough room to move around for wheelchair users inside a business.
- Guidance Tactile/Tactile paving - a pathway for Visual Accessibility.
Note : These keywords are requests/feedback I got when I spoke with people who need Accessibilities. “Wheelchair friendly” is the important one because it is the most feedback I got, that would be helpful if it is seen in a review.
Always remember to include icons such as 
in your reviews to whether a business is providing that Accessibility or not. For Audio Accessibility, you can mention whether “Assistive Hearing Loop” is available in a business or not.
Thank you Akhil for giving me such an incredible interview.
Special thanks to Dr. Sharada Devi (English professor and got PhD in Disability studies) and Ashla Rani who introduced me to Akhil. Also thanks to @TravellerG for guidance to make this interview!
Accessible LGBTQ friendly businesses- businesses that are accessible which are also LGBTQ+ friendly. List out your most favourite accessible LGBTQ friendly businesses in the comments.
Share your favourite review where you shared Accessibility information! Don’t forget to contribute to Accessibility tomorrow and share with us as a post!
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