Maps shape how movement is imagined, organized, and governed. Yet many contemporary maps still assume a non-disabled default user, privileging speed, efficiency, and route optimization while overlooking the barriers, detours, and everyday negotiations that structure mobility for many disabled people. Framed through the concept of accessible mobilities, this talk reflects on the cartographic consequences of missing data: absent information about entrances, slopes, surfaces, washrooms, seating, path obstructions, and other features that often determine whether movement is possible, safe, and dignified. Using examples from campus, street, and business accessibility mapping initiatives, including Vancouver Island University, WalkRollMap, and Mapping Our Cities for All (MOCA), I show how participatory and disability-informed mapping can surface overlooked barriers, generate more meaningful accessibility data, and support advocacy and systems change. I conclude by suggesting that inclusive cartography is not only about making maps easier to read, but also about rethinking what—and whose experiences—our maps are designed to represent.

Victoria Fast – Associate Professor, University of Calgary.