Hackney case study

enabledmaps is another Enabled london product, the tool has been designed to allow anyone to collaborate to create an accessible map. Each map looks clear and effective, incorporating simple photographs of each stage of the journey with directing graphics and basic instructions, guiding the traveller along the way. The maps are quality controlled by people with learning disabilities, trained as mapping consultants. The website tool and training is being offered as:

• A training initiative for adults with learning disabilities. Training was simply planned as progressing the trainees though the process of making one map by planning a map route together, gathering the photographs and directions and inputting the information into the online tool via computer.
• A consultancy to provide beautifully accessible and editable maps of behalf of clients.

Hackney Mapping Consultants

Enabled London were able to develop the tool through a partnership with Hackney Recruitment Partnership (HRP) and Simon Thorne, who were the first to license Enabled London’s Enabled Mapping project.

"People with learning disabilities are the right group of people to design accessible information, often they have have a life-times service placed upon them, many people with learning disabilities may have hidden or undiagnosed forms of disability (i.e also have visual and physical disabilities)".

Hackney Recruitment Partnership suggested people with learning disabilities who had interests in computing, photography and liked getting out and about who may like to be trained to become mapping consultants.

"Anyone could be trained if they wanted the training. It was also considered helpful if some of the trainees had dedicated supporters, that would be prepared to help client’s work partner and so on, to ensure that supporters developed good rapport with the team, and understood the process sufficiently to provide ongoing support for the developing social enterprise".

Enabled London met with the candidates to demonstrate the maps by breaking down the job roles required to make a map. Supporters came to earlier meetings to help agree deliverables, foster good relationships (having inside knowledge of the client) and diary the next meeting.
We next met to user-test a map with people with learning disabilities supporters to test Homerton Hospital’s first map. The feedback lead to improvements to the map and a photo opportunity for Homerton Hospital - the mapping consultants had their first client.

A few people dropped out but Peter and Paul remained interested in map training with the support of Rozy (job coach). With just two people with learning disabilities and a supporter we able to provide the training without other training staff, it also meant that the pace could change to suit the trainees. Firstly we met with Hackney’s trainee mapping consultants to show them what the maps looked like and road-test a map (to Homerton Hospital).

Next they made their first map, from Homerton Station to Hackney Service Centre, the first map was supported quite heavily, as a training example. Peter and Paul planned the route with Alick (using photocopied maps and training materials supplied by Enabled London), then took turns to photograph and write up way-finding text, they understood the job at hand and took ownership of their work. Its easy to miss small things when doing the field work, the mapping tool enables you to preview and save your work and add or change all elements of mapping at anytime.
We broke map making into 3 parts:

Field work this included:

• walking the route
• writing up notes while walking
• photographing the route

Admin:

• typing up the text for each stage of the route
• selecting the images and renaming
• cropping images

Computer work:

• adding place markers, images arrows and text to online mapping tool
• publishing maps
• quality control

We targeted demonstration maps to large organisations who:

• have a wide cross section of the community visiting them
• need to provide high quality services (will update their maps)
• may need additional maps

Maps created

Geffrye Museum

Hackney College

Hackney Central Library

Hackney Service Centre

Hackney Central Police Station

Homerton Hospital

St Josephs Hospital

Summary

Organisations with an obligation to provide public services often don’t know if their visitors have any form of disability, speak English as a second language or have difficulty navigating linear maps and therefore are thinking about reaching a smaller society. Enabled Maps are a simple, economical service providing clear, accessible and fun information that communicate to potential visitor that they are important customers and not just users of services. Contact us for more information or see example maps.