Wayfindr

Sight loss can lead to isolation, poverty and depression. Almost half of the estimated 2 million visually impaired people living in the UK say they would like to leave their homes more often, but feel unable to travel independently. Their impairment can limit social and economic opportunities, including relationships, travel and employment.

The Wayfindr Open Standard app is the answer. Their audio-based app allows visually impaired people to navigate the world independently, with reliable, clear and consistent directions, delivered through the user’s smartphone. Launched in 2015, the app currently offers directions for stations, hospitals and shopping centres, and in the future the project aims to provide navigation wherever you are in the world. This discreet, affordable and accessible technology removes barriers to employment, to seeing friends and family, and engaging in the community.

Wayfindr is a joint venture between The Royal London Society for Blind People and ustwo (a global digital product studio). It has been extensively tested in partnership with two of the world’s largest metropolitan transportation authorities, in Sydney and London, and the model ensures it can be offered across the world.

Wayfindr are giving visually impaired people their confidence and independence back, with the tools to navigate the world independently. Visit the Wayfindr website for more information.