Ethical Considerations & Accessibility Strategy

Developing a specialized tool for a university campus brings unique ethical responsibilities. Because Concordia is a diverse institution, the Campus Guide must go beyond simple navigation to ensure it serves all community members equitably. The main ethical challenge of this project lies in ensuring that our solution doesn't inadvertently exclude the very people it aims to help. We have identified two primary areas of focus:

1. Universal Design & Inclusion

Concordia’s strength lies in its diversity. Both its student body and faculty include individuals with a wide range of physical and sensory impairments. Ignoring these needs would be an ethical oversight that could marginalize users.

• Mobility Impairments: We are addressing this by integrating an "Accessibility Mode" in our indoor mapping. This prioritizes routes with ramps and elevators and explicitly avoids stairs, ensuring that a "shortest path" is also a "possible path."
• Visual Impairments: To support users with low vision or blindness, we aim to ensure the app is compatible with screen readers and provides high-contrast visual options for the UI.
• Cognitive Diversity: Navigating a complex campus is cognitively demanding. Our goal is to reduce "choice architecture" stress by providing clear, simplified, step-by-step instructions.

2. Data Privacy & Geoethics

Navigation apps inherently handle sensitive location and schedule data. Ethically, we must balance convenience with strict privacy:

• Minimized Tracking: Location data should only be accessed when the app is actively being used for navigation.
• Calendar Privacy: When connecting to Google Calendar or the Open Data API, the app must ensure that personal event details (beyond location and time) are never stored or transmitted to external servers.

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Addressing the Challenges

To remain in line with Concordia’s commitment to accessibility, we are adopting a "Progress over Perfection" ethical framework. This involves:

1. Data Transparency: Clearly labeling which routes are "Verified Accessible" so users can trust the data provided.
2. Inclusivity in POIs: Ensuring that Points of Interest include essential facilities like gender-neutral washrooms and accessible water fountains.