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

Tue Apr 9 19:43:56 UTC 2019

I agree with this.

Sincerely
Robert A. Hansen
hansen.robert70 at gmail.com
Robert A. Hansen

On Tue, Apr 9, 2019, 8:14 AM Patti S Chang via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> 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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