About Accessible Wayfinding

The goal of Accessible Wayfinding is to provide equal access to location information to people with visual disabilities. Without the ability to see surrounding location information, such as street signs and landmarks, it is difficult for a visually impaired person to determine the accurate direction to travel and to efficiently move from place to place. The inability to know location information can often result in fear, reluctance to leave one's home or known routes, and a consequent withdrawal from major life participation in work, family and community. Accessible Wayfinding aims to develop products that narrate the environment in sufficient detail to empower a visually impaired person with the essential information necessary for independent travel.

Accessible Wayfinding is located in Davis, California at Sendero Group Headquarters. We have partnered with various universities and organizations for the past seven years to research and develop Accessible Wayfinding devices.

Accessible Wayfinding is currently working on three federally funded projects: Accessible GPS on a Cell Phone, Accessible GPS for persons with a cognitive disability, and Indoor Navigation delivered via Talking Lights. Funded by National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), Department of Defense (DoD) and National Science Foundation (NSF) respectively.

Accessible Wayfinding's first project from 2001 - 2006, funded by NIDRR, developed the first accessible GPS for blind and visually impaired individuals. For more information about Accessible Wayfinding projects visit our Projects page.

Accessible Wayfinding Staff

• Mike May: Director
• Charles LaPierre: Chief Technology Officer
• Gil Lutz: Staff Tester
• Chris Grabowski: Staff Tester
• Sheri Harding: Chief Financial Officer

Accessible Wayfinding Collaborators

Accessible Cell Phone GPS

• National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
• Western Michigan University

Accessible GPS for Persons with Cognitive Disabilities

• University of Washington
• University of Rochester

Talking Lights

• Talking Lights LLC

NIDRR Wayfinding Grant

• Carnegie Mellon University
• Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Western Michigan University

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Sendero Group • 429 F Street, Suite 4 • Davis. CA 95616
Phone: 530-757-6800 • Fax: 530-757-6830

Sponsored by: | Dod SBIR |