Disabilitydescription
What?
OpenStreetMap data needs to become accessible to disabled people.
This includes the need for a possibility to map objects of special interest to the different groups of disabled.
Often the object can not be described by established tags as much as needed.
This proposal shall fill the gap and offer a unified way to add information of interest the disabled, that is not of interest to other persons.
Why?
- Because often map icons can to tell what needs to be told.
Where to map?
- Wherever an element needs description for persons with a disability.
Tagging
The key consists of the keyword for the disability
- wheelchair
- blind
- deaf
followed by a colon, plus the keyword
- "description"
followed by a colon plus the 2 letter language code also used in name:*=*
- en for English
- de for German
- etc.
Note: The language extension is of special interest to blind users because the screenreader shall be controlled to pronounce the description in the correct language.
Wheelchair users and other walking disabilities
Tagging examples:
- wheelchair=no,
- amenity=restaurant,
- wheelchair:description:en=The restaurant has parking lots for the disabled, but the ramps inside are too steep and some doors are only 50cm wide. Toilets are not equipped.
- wheelchair=limited,
- amenity=cinema,
- wheelchair:description:en=The cinema has equipped toilets with Eurokey and elevators, but only cinema 2 is reachable without stairs. Phone hotline knows which movie is shown there only 2 hours before.
Blindness and visual impairments
Tagging examples:
- water=fountain
- blind:description:en=Warning: The fountain does not have a noticable border, you can get wet when standing on the fountain when it is turned on suddenly. Keep away at least 10m radius.
- natural=tree
- blind:description:en=This is the only place around in this urban area where your guidedog can raise its leg.
- building=yes
- entrance=yes
- blind:description:en=Warning: Dangerous automatic door turning anticlockwise. Use the button for wheelchair drivers on the left at height 80cm to slow it down.
- amenity=cinema
- blind:description:en=The CineCube regularily shows movies with additional audio description.
- highway=bus_stop
- tactile_paving=incorrect
- blind:description:en=Danger: The tactile paving down to the underground line 3 guides to you under the steps approximately 13 m after you enter the platform, only 1.80m free hight. Keep right of the guiding line and make sure not to bruise your head.
Deafness and hearing impairments
Tagging examples:
- amenity=theatre
- deaf:description:en=The theatre borrows equipment to connect to hearing devices.
- amenity=cinema
- deaf:description:en=The cinema regularily shows movies in foreign languages with subtitles.
- type=route
- route=train
- deaf:description:en=Danger: The doors of some lines from this railway stop used to have flashlights when the doors are closing, but due to a technical problem most of them only beep now.
Mental deseases and inability to read
Some persons need icons or speech output instead of writing because they can not read.
To be defined.
Rendering / Speaking
- Not displayed in ordinary maps.
- In special maps for disabled persons the descriptions shall appear at mouse over
- In navigation software for the blind the descriptions shall be spoken by the screenreader on demand
- See LoroDux
- Will be rendered on http://www.accessiblemaps.org
Often used combinations
- wheelchair=limited
- tactile_paving=incorrect
- tourism=information + information=tactile_map
- tourism=information + information=tactile_model
For longer descriptions
If you have a longer description of an object, like such for tourists that describe the history of an object, you can use blind:website:XX=* and place an URL to the long text.
See also
- description=* – main feature key
- Proposal:DisabilityDescription – the proposal page, this page is based on