When you leave your house, do you know if you’ll be able to access the place you’re going? Can you get through the door? Use the restroom? Find an accessible path? These are questions many people with disabilities face every day. One helpful tool is Google Maps’ accessibility features. At the 2025 TravelAbility Summit, our CEO Jake Steinman sat down with Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, Google Maps’ Disability Inclusion Lead and wheelchair user, to discuss his story, how Google Maps is making accessibility visible, and how individual advocates can drive meaningful change. Read our one-page recap below.

Session Recap

October 15, 2025 

Speakers 

• Sasha Blair-Goldensohn – Google Maps engineer/accessibility advocate

Overview

Sasha Blair-Goldensohn shared his personal journey from Google Maps engineer to accessibility activist after a life-altering spinal injury in 2009. His experience navigating the world in a wheelchair exposed major gaps in accessibility—not just in infrastructure, but in information. Sasha used his platform at Google and through legal advocacy to expand elevator access in NYC, influence global mapping standards, and make accessibility information visible to millions of users around the world.

Key Insights

• A single individual can create systemic change in infrastructure, policy, and global products.
• After becoming disabled, Sasha recognized that accessibility in maps was broken: you could find great restaurants, but not whether you could get in the door or use the bathroom.
• His activism helped secure a legally binding agreement forcing the NYC subway system to install elevators—tripling the installation rate.
• Google Maps now displays accessibility icons by default, not just for disabled users—because accessibility benefits everyone (wheelchairs, strollers, deliveries, aging travelers).
• 50 million+ places worldwide now have verified accessibility data through Google Maps.
• 125 million Local Guides contribute to crowd-sourced information, adding global scale.
• Accessibility details continue to expand: entrances, restrooms, parking, seating, hearing loops, and more.
• AI tools are enabling destinations to generate custom accessible maps with simple prompts—no big development team needed.
• New features in development include visual AI street descriptions for blind / low-vision travelers.

Actionable Takeaways for Destinations

• Encourage local businesses to update their own accessibility info on Google Maps—it’s free and visible to travelers everywhere.
• Use Maps’ accessibility features in marketing: “highly-rated wheelchair accessible cafés in ___”.
• DMO staff can create custom accessible maps using Google’s “Build with AI” tool.
• Add QR codes on websites or printed guides linking directly to Google Maps with accessibility filters applied.
• Partner with Local Guides or disability advocates to verify accessibility information at scale.
• Advocate for infrastructure improvements—Sasha demonstrated that legal action + public visibility works.

Notable Quotes

• “Disability isn’t those people over there — it’s all of us.”
• “Nobody signs up for this community, but once you’re in it, you realize its beauty.”
• “You can find soup dumplings… but can you get in the door or use the bathroom?”
• “When the icons are on by default, accessibility becomes real for everyone.”
• “A single person really can change the world.”