Transport CommitteeWritten evidence from Roger Wilson-Hinds, Director Screenreader.net (DAT 107)
The Whole journey door-to-door
The bus journey is only part of the total journey. Blind travellers need up to date information to cover at least the following:
Finding the bus stop.
Knowing bus times.
Flagging down the right bus.
Alerting the driver to the disability.
Relaxing knowing where to get off.
Having got off, certainty you are in the right place.
Some level of information to reach destinations.
Finding bus stop and bus times to return home.
Flagging down the right bus.
Alerting the driver to the disability.
Relaxing knowing where to get off.
Having got off, certainty you are in the right place.
And some level of information to get to your door.
You will see from the above that on board audio visual information was a great idea some years ago and still has its place. But the modern smartphone technologies are already much fitter for disability journey purpose and will only improve. It will not be long before the young old are carrying a smartphone as a matter of course.
I very much understand the case for audio Visual on board bus and train information. It is great within conurbations but a huge lift to expect the rest of the UK to implement. So here I just focus on the case for the accessible smartphone and we are just one of many companies seeking to bring a product to market in this sector.
Guide Dogs:
My understanding of the Guide Dog position is that they take a very reasonable attitude to the whole journeying issue as we would expect. I just feel they are a little behind the times in still focussing on on-board audio visuals.
ITS Submission:
I attend their events now pretty regularly and they do a great job endeavouring to represent all options. In the last meeting up in Manchester, an interesting point was raised as follows: Perhaps surprisingly, nearly 30% of older people with a significant visual disability also have a hearing loss making it not always so easy to hear the on-board announcements. A smartphone against the ear is a better proposition.
Affordability
Yes we all struggle with this one but the thing to bear in mind is this: We are dealing with the young old as opposed to the older old and it is becoming very apparent that the smartphone has a variety of roles to play for people between 55 and 75 in terms of safety, communications, and generally overcoming isolation and remaining in touch with the mainstream.
Technophobia
As above and as people move into the young old group with smartphone habits taken for granted in their daily lives, this will cease to be such a problem. So we should plan for the future and not for the technophobic past.
June 2013