Vision impairment is a term covering a wide range of people. In the UK, it includes people living with sight loss, people classified as sight impaired, or people classified as severely sight impaired* (previously known as blind).

When we carry out Wayfindr audio navigation trials, we always aim for a wide range of participants, including in terms of their level of sight loss, use and type of primary mobility aid, and familiarity with technology and the area in which the trial is taking place. This is to ensure that audio navigation solutions using the Wayfindr Open Standard can be used by persons with any degree of sight loss or vision impairment.

Today we would like to share with you a video from our recent trial in the Las Arenas Shopping Centre in Barcelona.

This shows a severely sight-impaired user using the Wayfindr demo app to find their way around the shopping centre. As well as being severely sight impaired, this particular person had never been to Las Arenas before. Despite this, using audio navigation along with their guide dog, they are still able to navigate independently.

This video shows how audio navigation can open up so much more of the world to vision impaired people, allowing them to travel to places they have never been to before with confidence and with the knowledge that they will be able to find their destinations safely and efficiently.

*According to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), to be classified as severely sight impaired, a person will usually have:

• Visual acuity of less than 3 / 60 with a full visual field.
• Visual acuity between 3 / 60 and 6 / 60 with a severe reduction of field of vision, such as tunnel vision.
• Visual acuity of 6 / 60 or above but with a very reduced field of vision, especially if a lot of sight is missing in the lower part of the field.