Wheelmap App: Using Technology for Accessibility

Do you ever find yourself wondering where the nearest wheelchair accessible restaurants, cafes museums or libraries are located? ‘There’s an app for that!’ We think this new app for iPhones and iPod touches called Wheelmap is so cool! It allows you to find, enter and modify accessible and inaccessible locations on a virtual map, both helping you know where to go, and creating a community of people with similar interests via the virtual world. With the search capability you can find accessible locations worldwide when you are traveling.

Wheelmap is based on OpenStreetMap and works similar to wikipedia – everyone can contribute to improving the accumulated data. It gives you a chance to see the recommendations of other wheelchair users and gives you an opportunity to interact within a virtual community. It tags different locations on an open-source map with red, yellow or green to indicate the level of wheelchair access each location provides.

The handy app was created by wheelchair user Raul Krauthausen who wanted to use technology to help him get around better. You can plan ahead or find locations on the spot with the touch of a button, simplifying travel or even running errands. You don’t have to be dependent on a driving service but can hop in your own wheelchair van and be the director of your own travel plans. At Van Products, we love seeing new technology like this that gives wheelchair users more access than ever before. After all, we want to help you keep life the “moving experience” it was intended to be! Let us know how we can help you.