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

Wed Apr 10 16:18:31 UTC 2019

I agree about the over hyping. I heard about this app last year, but had 
no interest in installing it because of claims that people might not get 
out without it. The name "aware" implies we are clueless about our 
surroundings without it.

There are actually several GPS apps with Beacon technology available. I 
wonder whether those other apps will read the beacons being installed. I 
have now downloaded the app and will try it out, along with other apps I 
have installed. It should be noted that many stores use Beacons for 
sighted GPS users to advertise deals to their phones. Perhaps the Crown 
Plaza, where the vendors will be meeting soon, has this technology 
available.

On 4/9/2019 2:43 PM, Robert Hansen via IL-Talk wrote:
> 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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