A volunteer group in Ohio has made public restrooms easier to navigate for people who are blind or have low vision, using simple 3D tactile maps.

Stark A11y, an all-volunteer accessibility hub, teamed up with Stark Library and Stark Parks to create the maps for the Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park in Perry Township. The maps show the restroom layout in high-contrast colours with Braille labels.

Every detail is covered: the position of sinks, toilets and doors, which side handles are on, and where soap dispensers sit. The icons help users plan each step before touching anything.

Founder James Warnken said the goal is to remove small barriers that sighted people never notice. The project grew from a single social media request just over a year ago, and the group hopes to expand it to more parks.

The maps are free to use and were designed with input from blind community members. Volunteers say the project cost little but required careful attention to detail. Stark A11y hopes the model can be copied by parks and public buildings across the country.