Embedded Files
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LWB92CP
SHort-Form Poll
SHort-Form Poll
Questions:
1. How often do you have to call a venue ahead of time just to double-check their physical accessibility?
Findings:
The results show that active pre-planning is nearly universal. Of 18 respondents, 38.9% (7 participants) reported that they "often" have to call ahead, and 33.3% (6 participants) "always" do. Combined, 72.2% of respondents rely on active phone verification because standard digital resources fail to provide reliable, passive accessibility information.
In-depth Survey
In-depth Survey
Questions:
1. What mobility aid do you primarily use to navigate daily life?
2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you trust the accessibility information shown on major maps (like Google Maps or Apple Maps)?
3. Have you ever abandoned or cancelled plans to go out specifically because you couldn't find reliable accessibility information online?
4. Which pre-journey planning step costs you the most mental or physical energy?
5. Describe a recent experience where a venue claimed to be "accessible", but you arrived to find hidden physical barriers.
Findings:
A Lack of Digital Trust: On a scale of 1 to 5, the average trust score for accessibility data in mainstream mapping apps was just 2.47/5, with 66.7% of respondents rating their trust as 1 or 2.
The Energy Tax Breakdown: Confirming the mental load of navigation, the most exhausting pre-planning steps were "Calling venues" (40.0%) and "Worrying about hidden barriers" (20.0%).
Social Exclusion: This missing information directly causes isolation; exactly 73.3% (11 out of 15 participants) reported that they have "Yes" (6) or "Sometimes" (5) cancelled plans because they could not find reliable accessibility information online.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
When linked together, these two surveys expose a systemic failure. The SurveyMonkey poll proves that mobility aid users are forced to perform continuous, unpaid administrative labor (calling venues) simply to participate in society. The Google Forms survey explains the "why" behind this: trust in automated digital labels is incredibly low because physical reality on-arrival regularly features hidden barriers, such as heavy outward-swinging doors, locked bathrooms, and broken lifts.
Ultimately, these datasets show that the physical accessibility barrier is preceded by an information accessibility barrier. When digital systems remain silent or inaccurate, users are forced to choose between expending immense mental energy to manually verify their route, risking physical injury on arrival, or abandoning their plans entirely.
What I Learned:
What I Learned:
This activity proved that the accessibility "data gap" is not just an inconvenience, it can act as a barrier to peoples mobility. The fact that nearly three-quarters of respondents have stayed home due to a lack of online data shows that fixing the digital information systems is just as critical as fixing physical sidewalks.
What Was Successful:
What Was Successful:
The poll provided the solid behavioural percentages needed to establish the scale of the problem, while the Form captured the highly personal, frustrated realities of navigating the city.
What Could Be Improved:
What Could Be Improved:
Recruiting participants remains a slow process. To build on this, I would reach out to formal local advocacy and elderly care networks earlier in the research cycle to get a larger and more diverse sample size. I would also simplify some of the longer text prompts to reduce form fatigue.
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