Unveiling Knia Maps, an Immersive, Open Source Map App for People with Disabilities
Knia Maps has been unveiled, bringing forth a never-before-seen mapping app designed by disabled people for those with disabilities.
Nikhil Autar is a medical student, speaker, and founder of Australian Startup of the Year 2018 Bheem Health, which creates affordable, sustainable medical devices that help keep people safer at home for longer. He is also co-founder of Doctors Against Violence and creator of the Musings of a Med Student blog. Furthermore, he is a cancer survivor who is in a wheelchair. Sharing a commonality with 4+ million other Australians with disabilities, Autar knows all too well the struggles of parking, trying to find a nearby accessible bathroom, or navigating a hospital while disabled. He set out to solve this problem by creating Knia Maps, an open source platform that lets users plan their trips more efficiently by searching for specific amenities critical to their needs.
Knia Maps has already mapped out virtually all major hospitals in Sydney, public transport with features such as shade and seating in several urban hotspots, major university accessibility options, and accessibility information for hundreds of small businesses. Users, including businesses, governments, venues, and members of the public, can draw a map and input accessibility features in their buildings via a proprietary map builder that lets users map out amenities such as wheelchair accessible bathrooms, rest stops, quiet spaces, sensory friendly environments, parking, and more.
People can accumulate points for their contributions. Businesses can advertise to make their businesses accessible to the 1/6 people who live with a disability yet find it hard to access their community. Venues can let the world know how to access them best.
The app is focused currently on mapping accessibility features for Australian venues, businesses, and governmental facilities, but Autar aims to grow Knia Maps to a global scale. “Knia Maps is honing in on Sydney for now, but when we launch, you’ll be able to map your town too!” said Autar. “And even able bodied people will find it useful!”
Currently, users can sign up at the Knia Maps website to join a waiting list for when the app officially launches. Until then, beta testers are being accepted for the app. With Knia Maps, anyone can help make the world a more accessible place!
More information on this groundbreaking new app can be found by visiting https://kniamaps.com/ and following Knia Maps on social media @kniamaps
ABOUT KNIA MAPS
Knia Maps is the premier mapping app for people with disabilities, offering crowd sourced mapping to assist with parking, indoor navigation, and much more.
Media Contact
Company Name: Knia Maps
Contact Person: Nikhil Autar
Email: Send Email
Phone: +61409958689
City: Sydney
Country: Australia
Website: https://kniamaps.com/
