Cutting-Edge Invention for Blind and Deaf-Blind Travelers Launched at Chicago Assistive Technology Conference
ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps offers detailed narrative route descriptions that help vision impaired people successfully find their way to unfamiliar destinations. The system is modeled after the popular ‘directions’ feature of Yahoo, Google, and MapQuest maps, said inventor and mobility specialist Joe Cioffi, who has 28 years experience teaching blind and deaf-blind clients white cane techniques. “With Internet maps, sighted users select a starting point and destination from a drop-down menu and then click “go” for driving directions,” Cioffi said. “We adapted ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps by adding the options of voice output or Braille that literally walks blind and deaf-blind people through the route to the destination with customized ‘mobility-friendly’ walking directions.” The maps are free to users and can be accessed by telephone, a cell phone, or a computer. The directions can be downloaded on a notetaker for later access. ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps were designed to help vision impaired travelers more easily orient themselves and move through airports, schools and universities, hotel and convention centers, public parks, amusement parks, tourist destinations, and other public places. Cioffi also offers customized narrative walking directions for outdoor landmark-to-landmark route travel that can be downloaded at www.clickandgomaps.com, a fully accessible website, or obtained by using the company’s voice activated technology with a standard telephone.