Congratulations are in order for Ashley Nemeth, motivational speaker, writer, and blogger for her feature in Canadian Geographic’s magazine issue announcing the largest accessibility project in North America. In this article, Ashley shares her experience as an individual who is totally blind navigating through Wascana Park, Regina, and the enrichment that the BlindSquare app now offers to this experience.
Wascana Park is larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park and New York City’s Central Park combined, and a prime destination for locals and tourists alike. Filled with over 300 species of trees and shrubs, 270 species of birds and 36 various mammals, this incredible park is a fan favourite. For those who are blind and partially sighted, you can now discover landmarks, gazebos, the outdoor pool, monuments, bridges, and park entrances and exits through 230 GPS pins placed by CNIB. Bringing BlindSquare to this destination is a milestone in accessibility that will allow for more independence for blind or partially sighted park users in the community.
The Provincial Capital Commission oversees Wascana Park and approved the BlindSquare app and beacon installation. They took it a step further by installing these beacons within the Wascana Place offices as well, calling out doorways, tables, and bathrooms throughout the building. Since then, local businesses have adopted this solution by installing beacons in restaurants, bars and coffee shops nearby!
The ripple effect of this initiative is already in place, and we look forward to learning about the impact this has on blind or partially sighted park users. Thank you, Ashley, for sharing your experience with us and millions of readers across Canada in Canadian Geographic’s September/October issue. We hope this continues the ripple effect of growing accessibility in our local communities!
To learn more about this accessibility project, head over to CNIB’s announcement by clicking this link.