AccessMap vs Lazarillo

There are many apps and sites to help people navigate by car: Waze, HERE, Apple Maps, Google Maps; all these apps offer some semblance of 'pedestrian' directions, but make gross assumptions about what hills you can take, how speedy you will be, what is a 'safe' walking or rolling environment, and many don't even provide basic information about whether or not there's a sidewalk there. AccessMap, previously a web application produced by the [Taskar Center for Accessible Technology](https://tcat.cs.washington.edu/) is bringing mobility equity to pedestrians by improving and customizing walking/rolling routing. For International Day acknowledging Persons with Disabilities (Dec 3 #IDPWD2021) the group is releasing the mobile app that will allow Seattle, Bellingham and Mt. Vernon pedestrians generate customized walking directions tuned to personal mobility preferences. Users can request routes from A to B that include only crossings with “curb cuts” that allow strollers and wheelchairs to easily pass, or only sidewalks within a certain steepness range personalized to the user.

LazarilloApp the GPS for people who are blind or have low vision, lets you explore the world around you and set up routes. Lazarillo is a specialized GPS app that brings mobility tools for people who are blind. Using audio messages, Lazarillo will tell you about nearby places, the street you are walking on, street intersections in your way and more! Like a radio, Lazarillo will announce the things around you while you are moving. This app was designed and implemented with active feedback from people who are blind. The GPS resource is used even if the App is in the background. This allows the user to keep using the app without active usage of the screen, so they can still enjoy the features of Lazarillo even when their phone is in their pocket or when using other relevant apps. Note : "Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life." This app allows you to use its accessibility functions for free, just requires mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection. To collaborate with people who are blind, Lazarillo's main feature is to become the user's companion, providing essential information that allows displacement and autonomy. The goal is to help the person reach the chosen place in a simple way, receiving Lazarillo indications by voice and notifications of nearby places, institutions, shops, etc, allowing communication between the user and the city. The app contains the following features: Exploration: Provides your actual position, nearby places, and street intersections while you are walking on the street, in a bus or by car. Category searches: Allows to find nearby places from a specific category such as banks, health, food, shop, art, entertainment, etc. Specific searches: Allows to find a route to any place using voice or keyboard. Help information: Lazarillo provides information about establishments that work with blind or visually impaired people. The app is linked to a web platform where the institutions are able to show important information about events, courses, workshops, and any data that a blind person may need. In that way Lazarillo collaborates with these institutions improving the communication among users, providing better connectivity between people with visual disabilities. For suggestions and doubts you can visit our web site www.lazarillo.app or send us an e-mail to: help@lazarillo.app