[il-talk] FW: Illinois' capital city is accessible to the sighted and visually impaired thanks to wayfinding app

Tue Apr 9 13:13:04 UTC 2019

Can I just say that this title strikes me as problematic. It implies that we
could not navigate without this app. Although this tech may be helpful, it
does not suddenly make Springfield accessible. This is subtle but
overstating technological advancements can hurt us in obtaining jobs and the
like. An employer who thinks I must have all this is going to not want to
hire us because it is just too expensive. 

This is not a comment on the actual technology. It is a comment on how
overstating its utility is in my opinion harmful. Thought I might start a
good discussion on that issue. 

Patti S. Gregory-Chang Esq.
Treasurer
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
773-307-6440
Pattischang at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Denise Avant
via IL-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 6:40 AM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List' <il-talk at nfbnet.org>;
iabs-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: davant1958 at gmail.com
Subject: [il-talk] FW: Illinois' capital city is accessible to the sighted
and visually impaired thanks to wayfinding app

Hello all,

Perhaps someone in the Springfield area knows about this.

Denise R. Avant, Esq.

President,

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

773-991-8050

Live the life you want.

For more information about NFBI,

Go to www.nfbofillinois.org

From: Sensible Innovations <news at prnewswire.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 5:47 AM
To: davant1958 at gmail.com
Subject: Illinois' capital city is accessible to the sighted and visually
impaired thanks to wayfinding app

Illinois' capital city is accessible to the sighted and visually impaired
thanks to wayfinding app 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Springfield,
Illinois commissioned Sensible Innovations to deploy Aware, its audible
wayfinding solution, on downtown streets so that visitors, including those
that are blind or visually impaired, can receive turn-by-turn walking
directions and audible descriptions of destinations in real time. 

Sensible Innovations worked with certified Orientation and Mobility
Specialists and successfully implemented Aware (Utility Patent No.
9,726,746) by placing 244 Bluetooth Low Energy devices (iBeacons) downtown.
The project was successfully launched in October 2018. 

Sensible Innovations' founder and CEO, Rasha Said, explained that Aware
negates the need to memorize routes and landmarks encouraging users to
explore their surroundings with more confidence and independence.

"The app is free and can be used by anyone that has a smartphone, Android or
iPhone, with large font for easy reading and VoiceOver for people that are
visually impaired," she said. "The signal is carried from the iBeacons,
which each have a five-year battery, to the phone." 

Rasha's goal is to create a world without limits for America's 21 million
people that are visually impaired, which includes her teenage son and the
inspiration behind Aware.

"Typically, navigational apps are image-based, which are not accessible to
the visually impaired. Aware is audible and allows custom information based
on user preference to be integrated," said Rasha. "For example, Aware will
not only tell the user that they are approaching the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum, but it will also provide opening and
closing times, current exhibits, and cost of a ticket, besides layout
description for a visually impaired user." 

Speaking at the Downtown Springfield Inc. annual dinner, City of Springfield
Mayor, Jim Langfelder encouraged dwellers to download the app.  

"I am proud to say that the City of Springfield is the first city in the
world to offer this navigation for both visually impaired and those in need
of directional assistance. The technology is now offered throughout
downtown, connecting visitors to historic sites and participating
merchants," he said.

Named as one of CES2018's Innovation Award Honorees in the Smart Cities
category, the next phase in development for Aware is the translation of
information into different languages so that visitors to the City of
Springfield can fully experience President Abraham Lincoln's hometown. 

For more information about Aware email rsaid at sensible-innovations.com
<mailto:rsaid at sensible-innovations.com>  or visit sensible-innovations.com. 

This information is being distributed to you by: Sensible Innovations

2121 West White Oaks Dr., Springfield, Ill. 62704

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