From the Editor: BlindSquare is a product many of us use on a regular basis. The company is reaching out to those affected by the war in Ukraine. With slight modification, we are running what it has published on its website. Here is what it is doing hand-in-hand with the World Blind Union:
Background:
On Thursday, March 31, 2022, we received a posting from a BlindSquare user in Kyiv, Ukraine. He was writing requesting help on behalf of persons in Ukraine who are blind.
"We are in tough and unprecedented conditions, and our cities are under severe attacks. Many people are forced to flee their homes. . . . The situation is very difficult for blind refugees as they flee to other countries, to cities they are not familiar with, and it is very difficult to navigate there, to find places with essential goods such as shops, pharmacies, ATMs, and so on. Therefore, I have decided to write to you and ask for help for blind refugees from Ukraine."
Igor Kushni, UTOS Training and Information Computer Center, Kyiv, Ukraine”
From there:
Friday, April 1st. A 1000 km free region was defined including all of Ukraine, but also twenty-one other countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Northern Albania, North Macedonia, Turkey, Thessaloniki, Slovenia, Eastern Austria, Czechia, Poland, Eastern Germany). Within this region parties can download and proceed to use a full-featured version of BlindSquare named "BlindSquare Event." The link is bit.ly/bsqevent. This provision will be available for the duration of the war, plus ninety days, supporting the journeys from and return to Ukraine. When acquired in this free region, parties can continue to use BlindSquare EVENT for ninety days, anywhere on the globe (for example, Finland, Italy, Germany, UK, Canada, USA, all 185 countries we currently serve, and more). We have already noticed BlindSquare EVENT being downloaded from countries in our free region. If not in the free region but wanting to demo the app, it can be downloaded and will operate in demonstration mode.
We continued to listen. The correspondent does not speak English, but Google Translate rose to serve us well, translating to English as a common tongue. It was discussed that there is NO current Text-To-Speech (TTS) support for Ukrainian. Many Ukrainians use the Russian language as “close enough,” except that there are some significant barriers to the use of numbers and certain keywords. Our correspondent identified a willing assistant in language translation to enable improved access for Ukrainians. By the end of April, BlindSquare will have added Ukrainian as our twenty-seventh supported language.
We continued to listen. For occasions where there is a need to share a current location (example, meeting a friend, calling a taxi), this is static information, and a person's location could change. We are mounting a new BlindSquare feature named "FindMe." In the Ukrainian context, information about their current location can be shared in any of the many secure methods. The difference is that the location information displayed on a map or connected as a live information source is Dynamic. If the party moves, the up-to-date information is automatically shared with the supporting party. FindMe sharing can be started or stopped on demand. This solution will be implemented in the month of April.
We continued to listen. Following the model of a live (real-time) connection between parties, we are adding an inter-party chat to connect the sender and supporting party by text - a virtual "walkie talkie" to assist in providing ever-improving information. This solution will be implemented in the month of April.
We continued to listen. Secure communications is an imperative in this region. Information provided suggests that the Universal APP “Telegram Messenger” is the preferred method. Therefore, we have added Telegram Messenger as a feature within BlindSquare. This solution will be implemented in the month of April.
Organizations and people lending communications support:
World Blind Union
Martine Abel, President
Marc Workman, CEO
National Federation of the Blind
Mark Riccobono, President
James W. Sanders C.M; Past President and Chief Executive Officer, The Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Executive Director, The Sir Arthur Pearson Association of War Blinded
Jonathan Mosen, Mushroom FM
Quotation from Martine Abel: With millions of people displaced, we know there are tens of thousands of blind and partially sighted Ukrainians who are now living in unfamiliar settings. Apps like BlindSquare give helpful information to people about their surroundings. For many of us, this information makes it easier to get around and helps us navigate with confidence. For Ukrainians displaced by the war, this information could be the difference between getting to an evacuation point on time or not, getting to a shelter before the bombing starts or not, or getting to a grocery store before it closes or not. The service BlindSquare offers is a helpful convenience for most of us, but it can be an essential safety tool as well. I applaud the BlindSquare team for recognizing the value of their product during times of emergency and for taking the necessary steps to get it in the hands of as many people as possible.
Quotation from Marc Workman: I congratulate the BlindSquare team on their creative response to this terrible war. A crisis like the one facing Ukraine requires a collective response. No one organization can provide relief on their own. The World Blind Union has been working with numerous partners since the war began, and we are proud to work with BlindSquare as part of this effort. With the introduction of new features like FindMe and inter-party chat, BlindSquare has demonstrated their ability to innovate to solve immediate problems. By bringing different strengths to the table and working together, we can all do our part to provide relief and support to Ukrainians who are blind or partially sighted.
Quotation from Mark Riccobono: In this time of trial, we appreciate those businesses that do more than simply work with the blind. By leveraging their innovations and brand to provide meaningful access and to support the independence and safety of blind people facing unimagined circumstances, BlindSquare has demonstrated that its heart and commitment exceed its business interests. We commend those involved with BlindSquare for bringing their expertise and their monetary resources that are given freely, unselfishly, and even putting time and energy into the development of additional functionality. The National Federation of the Blind is proud to be a part of the effort to help the people of Ukraine and to publicly acknowledge the efforts of these exemplary corporate world citizens as they do the same.
Quotation from Jim Sanders: I have been a BlindSquare user for many years and find it invaluable when travelling in unfamiliar areas, or scouting future destinations using simulation! I can't imagine the impacts on those leaving Ukraine and in particular the absence of anything familiar on the journey or even on arrival. BlindSquare replaces the information darkness with information of value, relieving, to say the least. I applaud BlindSquare's innovative and supportive response to this pressing need."