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ZSI with MyAccessible.EU project in the city hall in Graz

19. Jul. 2016

ZSI presents findings from an accessibility mapping day to local politicans

On 30th of June ZSI presented the findings of the students mapping project (which happened on the “Day of Accessibility, June 2nd”) in Graz to a broad audience. In the beginning of the month around 25 students of the Medien HAK in Graz went out in small groups to map the wheelchair accessibility of local shops. Not only the audience was special, but also the location of the final event – the city hall in Graz. A number of local politicians, representatives from organizations, and journalists joined the discussion.

For about an hour and a half, politicians and disability activist gave inputs about the current situation concerning accessibility in Graz. At the end of their talks, we presented our school-mapping project with the Medien HAK Graz, and showed a short video introducing the Wheelmap App. Some students also shared their experiences and gave little insights what it was like to navigate Graz in a wheelchair for one afternoon. Beside difficult surfaces, like cobblestone or steep elevation, issues like a high counter at an ice-cream store were new and unexpected insights also for some people in the audience. The event brought together various people and organizations that are all engaged and motivated to make Graz more accessible and a city accessible to all.

First Wheelmap & MyAccessible.EU Ambassador appointed in Graz!

As the MyAccessible.EU project is ending this year we are currently looking for ways to ensure an ongoing engagement and dissemination of our mapping tools and awareness raising campaigns for accessibility! One way is our MyAccessible.EU ambassador program. All individuals or organizations in our pilot cities and beyond are welcome to become ambassadors! Ambassadors, for instance organize their own mapping event, collect important accessible data on Open Street Map (OSM) and thus enhance the visibility of our mapping tools and a discussion about accessibility concerns. This year the ZSI team was invited to Graz for the annual “Tag der Barrierefreiheit” (“Day of Accessibility”) again. In order to not only present the Wheelmap App this year but also collect accessibility information, we co-organized a mapping project with a local school, the Medien HAK in Graz together. At our joint event in the city of hall of Graz in the end of June we officially announced Herbert Winterleitner as our first MyAccessible.EU ambassador in Austria.

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