Thursday, February 24, 2011

An iPhone Application that Promotes Convenience and Independence to the Handicapped

I have seen many cases where people who are handicapped are becoming more mobile and independent around all sorts of places. Many of these features comes form how technology is helping people to live their lives to the fullest. One interesting application that I have noticed is now available on the iPhone. This is the Wheelmap application. This was created by Raul Krauthensen, the creator of the wheelmap.org website. It is being used as a means of extending his site to others in a new format.

What is it about?

This application is being used as a means of informing people about the ability of handicapped people to easily get around different establishments. This was originally created with Germany in mind but has since evolved to where it is now being used in the United States and a few other countries. This is used with the intention of making it easier for people to get into different places without worrying about a lack of access to them.

An easy planning system

The ratings that Wheelmap uses on the iPhone are easy to understand. The green icon means that a place is easy for a handicapped person to access. A yellow icon says that there are some problems but it is alright and a red icon says that a place cannot be accessed. People can also add comments and notes to the application to state what places are good for access and what places need additional help. The specifics that are used are very helpful for those who are handicapped.

Who is using it?

Of course, Germany is the most popular country for this application. After all, this is where it originated out of. A number of major cities around the world, including New York and London, have begun to take advantage of this app as well. There are also some attractions in different spaces around the world that have their own tags to make them easier to handle.

This is a very valuable application in that it does more than just tell people who are handicapped what places are accessible and what places aren’t. It also helps them to get the word out about places that need to be covered to where they can possibly get access features ready in the future. This is essential for those who need help going places and want to have access without any boundaries involved. I am hoping that this application continues to evolve to more parts of the world.




1 comment:

WonderWall said...

Really informative post.