# Accessibility for Whom? Perceptions of Sidewalk Barriers Across Disability Groups and Implications for Designing Personalized Maps

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.19888 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.19888/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 Feb 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [CapNav: Benchmarking Vision Language Models on Capability-conditioned Indoor Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.18424/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Despite diverse mobility needs worldwide, existing mapping tools fail to address the varied experiences of different mobility device users. This paper presents a large-scale online survey exploring how five mobility groups -- users of canes, walkers, mobility scooters, manual wheelchairs, and motorized wheelchairs -- perceive sidewalk barriers. Using 52 sidewalk barrier images, respondents evaluated their confidence in navigating each scenario. Our findings (N=190) reveal variations in barrier perceptions across groups, while also identifying shared concerns. To further demonstrate the value of this data, we showcase its use in two custom prototypes: a visual analytics tool and a personalized routing tool. Our survey findings and open dataset advance work in accessibility-focused maps, routing algorithms, and urban planning.