The last part of the journey to a destination can be a significant challenge for the 300,000 blind and visually impaired individuals in the Netherlands. Along the way, they encounter various challenges and obstacles, such as scattered bicycles, road constructions, finding the right entrance, and confusion about how to enter a building. This dependence on others severely limits the freedom of people with visual impairments. Therefore, in this challenge, we are seeking innovative solutions to help people with visual impairments navigate the "last mile" independently and confidently. We have a development budget of 70,000 euros and extensive support available for new solutions, the further development of existing solutions, or new combinations of solutions.
People with visual impairments often rely on public transportation, as they may be unable to independently cycle or drive. While significant improvements and innovations have been introduced in public transportation over the past decades to facilitate travel for people with visual impairments, the current challenge focuses on bridging the last (hundreds of) meters from public transportation to their final destination, as buses or trains do not take them directly to the door. This specific challenge of transitioning from public transportation to the ultimate destination is known as the 'last mile.'
Conventional navigation apps are not sufficient for the challenges faced by people with visual impairments during the 'last mile.' For instance, popular apps like Google Maps lack precision and real-time information, leading to outdated data. Moreover, these apps are not tailored to the specific needs of blind or visually impaired people, extending beyond navigation itself. Obstacles in public spaces, such as planters and bikes, as well as the challenge of locating and safely crossing intersections, present difficulties. Even the very last meter can be a significant obstacle, such as finding the correct entrance and uncertainty about how to open doors, whether through a bell, intercom, or card.
In the Netherlands, approximately 300,000 people have a visual impairment, with 70% struggling with independent mobility. Additionally, there are about 100,000 people in the Netherlands who face challenges in independent navigation due to acquired brain injury.
If you, your team, or organization has a (partial) solution to assist blind or visually impaired people in taking the last mile independently and confidently, we would love to recieve your pitch document!
What are we looking for?
For this challenge, we are seeking solutions that enable people with visual impairments to independently overcome challenges and barriers in the last mile. This could involve entirely new solutions, the further development of existing solutions, or new combinations of solutions.
There are various challenges that people with visual impairments face during their journey. The solution can address one or more of the following challenges, but feel free to surprise us with solutions we may not have considered yet:
- Locating the entrance: Identifying the correct door without the ability to read signs and such as house numbers.
- Clarity on entering: Finding the bell, operating an intercom, and other actions required to enter a place (scanning, cards, buttons, revolving doors).
- Unpredictable obstacles in public spaces: Temporary obstacles like planters, randomly placed bicycles, and temporarily parked delivery vans.
- Finding a safe crossing: Identifying crosswalks, traffic lights, and potential hazards.
- Temporary changes in walking routes: Road constructions, closures, and detours.
- Illogical layout of public spaces: Playfully arranged squares with unclear walking routes.
- Shared spaces: Shared public spaces without separated routes for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are challenging to navigate independently and are often unsafe.
What are we not looking for?
We are not seeking solutions that are:
- Highly noticable: Such as wearing noticeable harnesses or glasses. People with visual impairments often prefer tools that are discreet and comfortable, reducing the feeling of stigmatization.
- Highly expensive: Solutions that are exceptionally costly for users to acquire. We aim for accessible and affordable solutions that can assist a wide range of people with visual impairments.
What can you win?
- Opportunity to receive a development budget of up to 70,000 euros, providing the necessary resources to develop and enhance your solution.
- Expert guidance and support from creative and inspiring specialists at the Bartiméus Fonds. Our experts are ready to assist you in the further development and implementation of your solution.
- Access to a test group of potential users to evaluate and refine your solution based on their feedback.
- If successful, we will assist you in scaling your solution to have a broader impact and support more people with visual impairments.
Selection criteria
Various criteria will be considered when evaluating submissions, including:
- Efficient travel: We seek solutions that increase travel convenience without the need for multiple apps or cumbersome processes, such as making calls or uploading photos. This can be achieved by solving multiple challenges simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate devices or apps for each challenge.
- Reliability: We seek reliable solutions that enable users to trust the technology, even in complex and unexpected situations. User safety and privacy are our top priorities.
- Innovation: We are interested in proposals that are innovative and distinctive, providing demonstrable added value for the target audience. We welcome creative and boundary-pushing approaches, even from unexpected perspectives.
- Practical usability: Our goal is for solutions to be easily applicable in daily life. Solutions should not only be effective but also easy to implement and integrate into the daily routines of people with visual impairments.
Your pitch document (max 6 pages / 18 slides)
- Description of the concept:
Provide a concrete description of your concept. - Description of the pilot:
Give a brief description of what is needed to create a prototype and/or set up a pilot and what you need from us. Address the support needs, required access/materials/data, and the financial proposal for the pilot and, if successful, for the long term. - Team description:
Provide a brief description of the company and team that aims to realize the pilot.
The pitch can be submitted in a free but accessible* format (presentation/slide deck, letter form) but must be uploaded as a PDF file (landscape or portrait A4, max. 30MB). Videos, sample websites, etc., can be included as links.
*Members of the jury for this challenge include individuals with visual impairments. Therefore, the accessibility of the submitted material is important to us. For more information on making your PDF accessible: Making PDFs Accessible.
Timeline
- November 23, 12:00 (CET): Challenge launch
- January 18, 17:00 (CET): Challenge deadline
- February 1: Announcement of the first selection
- February 29: Pitch event
- Q3/Q4: Start of pilots
About Us
The Bartiméus Fonds goes all out to enable people who are visually impaired or blind to fully participate in society. Because it's not about how much percent you see. It's about how much percent you live. We believe in living 100%.
Therefore, we support the work of Bartiméus. Additionally, we provide subsidies for innovative initiatives from third parties. And we develop our own projects within three themes: mobility, education and work, and leisure.
More about The Bartiméus Fonds: https://bartimeusfonds.nl/ons-werk/