Jernigan Institute News
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute Logo
JERNIGAN
INSTITUTE
NEWS
November 1, 2005
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On October 6, 7, and 8, the Jernigan Institute hosted the first World
Congress on Wayfinding Technology, "Inventing the Future of Blind
Navigation." This
invited conference was developed by a team lead by Doug Baldwin,
director of the Institute for Innovative Blind Navigation of Saginaw,
Michigan, and funded
by the NEC Foundation.
It brought together technologists, university researchers, mobility
specialists, and educators for the purpose of examining new
technology and related research
that might advance mobility for the blind. Dr. Maurer in his opening
remarks welcomed the delegates and assured them that the Federation
was interested
in learning about new technology or strategies even if they appeared
to be way out there. He emphasized that the Federation's motivation
is and always
will be to assist in the advancement of technology that we as blind
people believe will improve our independence and expand our
opportunities. In order
to have true innovation many paths must be explored, and that
exploration will be done in an efficient manner if the organized
blind of this country are
involved.
After brief presentations on a wide variety of technologies,
including sound location, GPS indoor mapping, talking signs,
nonvisual user interface for autonomous
vehicles, and wireless applications for locating everything from
people to your favorite item in the grocery store, participants spent
time discussing
how they can work together to advance development of approaches that
show promise for good, solid, pragmatic improvement to independent
travel. The plan
is to develop a virtual community of researchers, technologists,
educators, and consumers who will collaborate on projects and
initiatives that make sense.
We will continue to monitor the progress of this group and be of
assistance to researchers and technology developers who show evidence
of an approach valuable
to the blind. If you want to learn more, go to:
www.wayfinding.net
Make sure to frequently check out
Voice of the Nation's Blind
and the
Braille Monitor
for more information on this and other important topics.
Betsy A. Zaborowski, Psy.D.
Executive Director
Jernigan Institute
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Stay tuned for weekly news from the Institute. These short updates
are being distributed on NFB listservs and to others interested in
what is going on at
the Jernigan Institute. Help us spread the word about the Jernigan
Institute by sharing this and other information at chapter meetings
and at other gatherings
of the blind.
consumerelectronics@nfb
Visit our Web site:
www.nfb.org
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