ScreenReader
Improving travel experiences for people with little or no sight.THE CHALLENGE
Community: Anxiety is felt by blind and vision disabled passengers who often don’t know where they are on a journey or when to get off the bus. At a time of economic restraint, it is not likely that on board audio visual information costing hundreds of pounds per bus will be provided locally especially on the city’s rural bus routes.
THE SOLUTION
ScreenReader was awarded £20,000 through the Test Bed Fund to pilot a project to improve the bus journey and other travel experiences of people with little or no sight in Peterborough.
ScreenReader have developed Georgiephone, a family of apps for blind or low vision people. With its big talking buttons, clear print and simple layout, one of its features includes providing bus journey information which acts as a low cost alternative to audio visual information on buses, taking away the anxiety felt by blind and vision disabled passengers.
THE STRATEGY
Building on the recent participation in an EU Ambient Assisted Living project, the pilot project will involve recruiting and training 20 visually impaired people to use smartphones equipped with locally engineered bus and taxi and monitor their bus journey experiences over one month.
There will then be a PR campaign to promote the project achievements and potential throughout the city and beyond and will then update their apps offering in light of the client experience.