17 Years on Wheels, 20 years at Google: Subways, Wheelchairs and Maps

This event will be online on YouTube and in-person (New York City). The speaker and livestream start at 7:30 pm ET. In-person attendees may arrive as early as 7 pm ET. If arriving late, please leave a comment on this page and someone will come down ASAP. Description In 2009, a dramatic accident in Central Park profoundly altered my life trajectory, instantly becoming 1 in 4 people worldwide living with significant disabilities. Ever since, I've navigated the world in a wheelchair, relearning what it means to be a New York father, Google Maps engineer, and athlete. Despite the challenges, though, I've more frequently found gratitude, purpose, and even joy in the vast, strong community of people with disabilities. Gratitude for all we've accomplished in the last half-century, and both purpose and joy in working with disabled folk and allies to extend those gains. In the physical world, fighting and winning a subway accessibility lawsuit, and online, adding disability-aware data and features to Google Maps so people of all abilities can "know before we go" if a place and route are a good choice. Presenter bio Sasha Blair-Goldensohn leads Google Maps accessibility and disability innovation projects, helping people worldwide find accessible places and routes. He is also a disability rights activist with the Elevator Action Group for New York City subway accessibility, and has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, PBS, Vital City, Vice News, New Mobility, and West Side Rag. Accessibility The presentation will have human captions [CC], not automatic captions. For ASL preferred speakers, learn about the Aira ASL App, and download it before the event. For the Blind and Low Vision community, learn about the Aira Explorer App and download it before the event. To access the online webinar for audio description, use the A11yNYC Access Offer to call, or simply inform your Visual Interpreter that you'd like that offer applied when you connect. For additional accessibility requirements, please email [email protected] two weeks before the event. Livestream View on YouTube Provided by Internet Society Accessibility SIG. Location details The event is at 72 Spring Street on the 4th floor. Everyone must be accompanied to the event on the 4th floor. Because everyone needs to be escorted, please arrive early or on time. When you enter the ground floor, a representative from A11yNYC will be there to provide elevator access. Transit The building 72 Spring Street is near several transit stops: 6 train Spring Street (non-accessible stop): 100 feet Canal Street (accessible stop): 0.4 miles B/D/F/M trains Broadway-Lafayette Street (accessible stop), 0.2 miles N/Q/R/W trains Prince Street (non-accessible stop): 0.2 miles Canal Street (accessible stop): 0.3 miles M1 / M55 Bus lines Broadway/Spring Street stop: 500 feet Cabs and rideshares can let passengers out right near the building entrance. Finding the building In Google Maps, find 72 Spring Street. It shows the correct location of the entrance: on Spring Street, halfway between Crosby and Lafayette. It’s also between the Glossier store and the Krewe Eyewear store. Inside and over the reception desk in our building 72 Spring St, it says “Marc Jacobs.” Traveling to the event? We recommend Hotel on Rivington or Crosby Street Hotel. Accreditation All A11yNYC meetups are pre-approved for IAAP Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAEC). Sponsors Thanks to Aira, AKQA, Deque, Evinced, and Equal Entry for sponsoring. Want to be a sponsor? Contact [email protected]