The accessibility information gap in our cities.

Millions of people navigate cities every day without reliable information about whether a place will actually work for their needs.

A restaurant may be listed as “accessible,” but that label often says very little. Is there a step at the entrance? Is the ramp too steep? Is the restroom usable? Is the environment too loud for someone with sensory sensitivity? Is there glare that makes reading difficult? Can someone communicate without speaking? Is there a quiet area for people who may become overwhelmed?

Today, most of this information simply does not exist in structured, accessible, machine-readable form.

As a result, people with disabilities, older adults, caregivers, families with strollers, and others with access needs are often forced to make decisions with incomplete information, leading to frustration, wasted trips, exclusion, and loss of independence.

Accessibility data is fragmented

Some information exists, but it is spread across disconnected places:

• Mapping platforms may indicate wheelchair access, but often only as a yes/no flag
• Review sites occasionally mention accessibility in comments
• Business websites may provide inconsistent or outdated claims
• Specialized accessibility platforms exist, but coverage is limited
• Public records are often incomplete, outdated, or not digitized

Existing accessibility data is too narrow

Most available data focuses almost entirely on mobility access, especially wheelchair accessibility. This leaves out many people whose accessibility needs are equally important:

• Blind or low-vision individuals
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals
• Neurodivergent people
• People with autism or sensory sensitivities
• Individuals with PTSD or anxiety triggered by overstimulating environments
• People with respiratory sensitivities
• People with temporary injuries
• Older adults experiencing reduced mobility or sensory decline

Accessibility is not one problem. It is a broad set of real-world constraints that affect how people experience spaces. Yet the available data model rarely reflects this complexity.

Existing data is not actionable

Even when accessibility information exists, it is often vague:

• “Accessible entrance”
• “Wheelchair friendly”
• “ADA compliant”

These labels are difficult to trust and almost impossible for software systems to reason about. What does “accessible” actually mean? Zero steps? Automatic door? Narrow but passable? Ramp available, but unusably steep?

Without structured detail, accessibility becomes subjective rather than operational.

Accessibility information goes stale quickly

Physical environments change constantly:

• Furniture layouts change
• Temporary obstructions appear
• Construction blocks routes
• Equipment breaks
• Business policies change
• Restrooms become unavailable

Static claims become outdated quickly unless regularly refreshed.

Independence

Lack of accessibility information forces people to depend on uncertainty, guesswork, or direct assistance. Reliable information allows people to make independent decisions with confidence.

Inclusion

People cannot fully participate in city life if they cannot predict whether spaces will work for them. Access to restaurants, stores, public services, events, and workplaces should not depend on trial and error.

Economic participation

Inaccessible or uncertain spaces lose customers. Businesses miss opportunities to serve millions of people because discoverability and trust are broken. Accessibility is not only a social issue. It is an economic one.

Better urban intelligence

Cities increasingly rely on digital infrastructure to optimize transportation, commerce, and public services. Yet accessibility remains largely invisible in the data layer. Without structured accessibility data:

• navigation systems cannot make informed recommendations
• AI assistants cannot guide users reliably
• urban planning lacks real-world insight
• businesses cannot benchmark accessibility performance

AI needs structured accessibility data

As AI agents become responsible for helping people navigate the physical world, missing accessibility data becomes a major infrastructure problem. An AI assistant cannot safely recommend a restaurant if it does not know:

• whether a wheelchair can enter
• whether communication without speech is possible
• whether the environment is overstimulating
• whether the restroom is accessible
• whether the information is current and trustworthy

AI requires structured, machine-readable, trustworthy environmental data. Today, that infrastructure largely does not exist.

Several trends make this moment especially important:

AI is moving into the physical world

Digital assistants are evolving from answering questions to helping people make real-world decisions. Without structured accessibility data, they remain unreliable for many users.

Cities still have major accessibility blind spots

Despite regulation and awareness, most accessibility knowledge remains anecdotal, fragmented, or unstructured. The information gap remains massive.

Distributed data collection is now possible

Mobile devices, distributed workforces, and structured audit systems make it possible to collect accessibility data at scale. What was once impractical is now operationally achievable.

The opportunity is to create a shared accessibility data layer for cities — a system that captures structured, real-world observations about accessibility across physical spaces.

Not only for compliance. Not only for wheelchair access. But for the full spectrum of human accessibility needs.

A living accessibility map that is:

• structured
• verifiable
• machine-readable
• multi-dimensional
• continuously refreshable
• usable by humans, businesses, cities, and AI systems

Just as GTFS standardized transportation data and unlocked an ecosystem of navigation products, a standardized accessibility data layer can unlock a new generation of accessible urban experiences.

Open Accessibility was started by two organizations bringing their expertise and resources together to get the project off the ground. There is plenty of room for additional companies and organizations to join in and help expand both the reach and depth of the work.

If you would like to contribute, the Contribute page is the best place to start.

ErgoTherapy

Accessibility and ergonomics partner

A San Francisco and Oakland ergonomic consultancy working with companies, government agencies, and school districts to improve quality of life across the Bay Area. The team brings more than 20 years of experience in the medical field treating patients across the full spectrum of accessibility needs, including limited mobility, sensory sensitivities, and neurodivergent conditions.

ExpertHQ

Field operations platform

The technology platform that coordinates, schedules, and pays the people performing audits in person. Every sponsored audit moves through ExpertHQ's logistics so that it becomes an actual visit, an actual conversation with the venue, and an actual structured record.