The City of Oshawa has installed the wayfinding technology known as BlindSquare at City Hall that enables individuals who are blind or experience low vision to navigate the building, and surrounding property. Oshawa is the first City in North America to install the technology in a City Hall.
BlindSquare uses a series of beacons and G.P.S. capabilities to look up and relay information indoors and out. Indoors, the app describes the surrounding environment and announces points of interest. When in a BlindSquare coverage zone outside, the app will identify the location and inform users about their immediate surroundings including points of interest and street intersections. Presently, the coverage includes a two kilometre radius surrounding City Hall and can communicate information regarding The RMG, the Oshawa Public Library McLaughlin Branch, Durham Regional Police Station, transit stops and more.
The technology is designed to help users who are blind or have low vision to navigate safely. Visitors to Oshawa can also benefit from its clear and easy-to-use interface. Additionally, BlindSquare is available in 26 languages.
The free BlindSquare Event app is available for iPhone users through Apple’s App Store.
Visit BlindSquare's website to learn more about the products updates and features.
Where can I download the BlindSquare app? | ||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||
What tools does the app offer? | ||||||||||
BlindSquare's features/tools can assist you with scanning and previewing your environment, determining your location, as well as locating a destination.
|
||||||||||
Does the BlindSquare Event app need the internet to work? | ||||||||||
The BlindSquare Event app provides the same functionality as the paid version of BlindSquare as long as it is used at the time and location of an event that has been registered with the developer of BlindSquare Event. Since BlindSquare Event does not include offline maps, you will need an active internet connection while using it. Additionally when setting up the app it is recommended to enable share location and Bluetooth. |
||||||||||
How can BlindSquare Event app benefit sighted users? | ||||||||||
Sighted users who are visitors to Oshawa can also benefit from its clear and easy-to-use interface.
|