Navigating life with low vision can be a daunting challenge for people with a disability, especially when they find themselves in unfamiliar indoor spaces where obstacles abound, from steep steps to narrow doorways, making it challenging to locate essential facilities like restrooms or emergency exits.
This means people with low vision become hesitant to explore new environments, opportunities, and adventures, and they lose confidence when they enter indoor environments like shopping centres, gyms, restaurants, convention centres, airports, universities, or any unfamiliar indoor space.
Another issue is that traditional navigation aids, including outdoor mapping apps like Google Maps, often fall short indoors, leaving people with a disability feeling disoriented, disempowered and excluded.
Enter BindiMaps, a revolutionary wayfinding app designed to empower people with low vision to navigate indoor environments with confidence and ease. The app provides step-by-step audio directions uniquely tailored to the needs of people with low vision and mobility challenges. It offers precise guidance and direction through meticulous real-time mapping of indoor spaces.
For three years, ImpactInstitute’s Disability Expos have been in a valuable partnership with BindiMaps to enhance accessibility for each disability expo. Both partners have a united mission: to empower individuals with disabilities and bring the expo’s “My Future, My Choice” mission to life by fostering greater independence and inclusion for all attendees.
BindiMaps uses Bluetooth beacon technology to map indoor spaces comprehensively. Users input their destination, and the app provides detailed audio directions that even include alternative routes for wheelchair users or those with mobility challenges. It also offers comprehensive accessibility information about the indoor space, including the locations of amenities like restrooms, elevators, and ramps.
Nina Drakalovic, Head of Marketing at BindiMaps, recently shared her insights on The CMO Show, a podcast by ImpactInstitute. She emphasised its broader approach beyond being just an app company: “We’re a solution company, a digital product company. Our focus is on accessibility, ensuring that individuals with disabilities, including those with vision impairments and wheelchair users, can easily navigate indoor spaces using audio directions.”
She also highlights the importance of addressing barriers faced by people with a disability: “Our goal is to provide a stress-free experience for users and break barriers for people with disabilities in terms of employment, social interaction, and community connection. Exclusion often occurs when someone can’t access a space, and that’s what we’re addressing.”
BindiMaps isn’t just competing with other indoor navigation apps; they’re challenging the limitations of static signage. Drakalovic further affirms, “We’re not just competing with other indoor wayfinding apps; we’re also challenging the limitations of static signage. Many believe a few signs pointing to toilets are sufficient, but that’s untrue. Even non-disabled individuals get lost. We’re here to remind people of the importance of comprehensive indoor navigation solutions.”
“Our approach involves minimising friction for users. We’ve broadened our products, including a tablet kiosk for quick and easy wayfinding without the need for downloads or sign-ups. We’re striving to make accessibility seamless and intuitive.”
Through the strategic partnership between ImpactInstitute’s Disability Expos and BindiMaps we have ensured comprehensive indoor mapping for each of our Disability Expos, with seamless coverage and accurate navigation for users.
With each step forward, BindiMaps and ImpactInstitute’s Disability Expos pave the way for a future where accessibility is not just a possibility but a reality for all. Our partnership is not just about maps and directions; it’s about empowerment, independence, and inclusivity.
This partnership is a testament to ImpactInstitute’s Disability Expos’ commitment to advocating for inclusivity and transforming the way individuals with disabilities navigate the world. As they continue to innovate and collaborate, BindiMaps sets an example for organisations worldwide, showing that with determination and innovation, accessibility can become a reality for all.