About Wayfindr
Wayfindr was a non-profit organisation which created a benchmark in standards for digital wayfinding on mobile devices. We want to empower vision impaired people to overcome isolation, through audio based navigation. We created the world’s first internationally-approved standard for accessible audio navigation.
There are an estimated 285 million people worldwide living with sight loss.
This can often lead to isolation, poverty and depression. Of the estimated 2 million vision impaired people in the UK, almost half say they would like to leave their home more often. At the moment many vision impaired people are unable to travel independently, instead relying on other people to help them get around or just not venturing out at all.
What if vision impaired people were empowered to navigate independently using the smartphone they already have in their pockets?
This was the challenge investigated by the Royal Society for Blind Children's (RSBC) Youth Forum and ustwo in 2014. We soon discovered that yes, this was possible. There and then we knew this was going to be life changing. Wayfindr was formed.
Explore the Open Standard
Eventually it won't just be the Underground, we could also use National Rail on our own as well. It could then be expanded to city level, to restaurants, to shops and that would be really revolutionary. That would change our lives I think. We wouldn't need any assistance to get anywhere.- Ruksana, RSBC Youth Forum Member