Community-sourcing

A data collection approach where members of a specific community contribute information based on their direct experience and local knowledge, as distinct from general crowdsourcing which draws on anonymous, unrelated workers. In accessibility contexts, community-sourcing leverages the expertise of people with disabilities and their allies to create resources that reflect actual user needs — for example, blind transit riders contributing detailed bus stop information while waiting at stops, or wheelchair users rating the accessibility of sidewalks and businesses. Community-sourced data tends to be more relevant and contextually rich than data gathered by external surveyors because it comes from people who regularly use the infrastructure and understand what information matters for their specific access needs.