Wayfindr grew out of a collaboration between the Royal London Society for Blind People’s Youth Forum and ustwo. Here the Youth Forum blog about what the success of Wayfindr would mean for blind young people everywhere…

For young people to develop an understanding of the world that they are living in they should be encouraged to learn from experiencing different situations and to expose themselves to new surroundings.

Travelling is key to building up awareness of different cultures and exploring the diverse society we are all part of. Wayfindr has the potential to revolutionise how people with disabilities can participate in all areas of life, whether visiting family, travelling to and from work or socialising.

To tackle the challenge of independent travel for vision impaired people, Wayfindr is setting the standard for audio navigation using your smartphone. We are working so that wherever you are in the world, indoors or outdoors, you can navigate independently.

Our latest trial guides participants through Euston Tube station, giving audio directions from a prototype smartphone app that interacts with beacons installed throughout the station.

To have the freedom to independently navigate is really empowering and will also positively impact upon the way that the general public perceive disability. Wayfindr can enable people with a visual impairment to be equally included in society and can be a flagship example of how to make the world accessible for all.

Reasonable adjustments should be made when designing infrastructure and services. To see the public, private and voluntary sectors all working together in a collaborative partnership is incredibly exciting.

Wayfindr began as a concept from RLSB’s Youth Forum and is now being made into a reality; this is a powerful reminder to have belief and determination in your ideas no matter how complicated the solution may be.

Find out more about Wayfindr here.