Foresight Augmented Reality to host Eye on Accessibility September 10 from 1:00-4:00 pm

Event in Decatur Square to feature music, games and prizes

(DECATUR, GA. – August 21, 2017) – On September 10, 2017, Foresight Augmented Reality (FAR) and the City of Decatur will host Eye on Accessibility, a festival in the Decatur Square, to highlight and celebrate the continuing progress toward making greater Atlanta completely accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

In recent months, several businesses and landmarks in Decatur have been transformed into FAR-accessible locations, easily navigable via the FAR Vision mobile app, which provides descriptive information to aid the visually impaired. In the spirit of raising awareness for assistive technologies for the blind and visually impaired, FAR employees and volunteers will be on hand at the event to provide demonstrations of the app for anyone interested.

“We’ve reached a day where the visually impaired can go out on the town, or go to the gym, or explore the many great things their community has to offer with minimal assistance,” said Foresight co-founder and CEO Tara Williams. “What better way to celebrate that freedom than to bring the community together out on the square in Decatur, the first FAR-accessible neighborhood of hopefully many more to come in the Atlanta area.”

The September 10 event will feature a DJ, interactive games, a blind sports demonstration by the Georgia Blind Sports Association, prizes and more. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to the Georgia Blind Sports Association, several other local advocacy groups will be in attendance, including National Beep Baseball Association, the National Federation of the Blind, Center for the Visually Impaired, the Georgia Radio Reading Service and Emory Eye Center.Foresight Augmented Reality was founded in 2016 in Atlanta, GA with the goal of creating smarter communities. FAR’s beacons provide compliance beyond ADA requirements for businesses looking to support those with vision-related disabilities. According to the National Foundation for the Blind, there are 7.3 million visually impaired people living in the USA. For more information, visit www.ForesightAR.com and download the FAR Vision app for iPhone, iPad or Android devices.

Decatur installs Bluetooth beacons for visually impaired downtown

Decatur has partnered with Atlanta-based Foresight Augmented Reality to install Bluetooth beacons for the visually impaired on five downtown buildings. The beacons, when paired with the company’s mobile app gives, among other things, vocal directions to specific rooms, restrooms and elevators, along with descriptive information of entrances, exits, and hazard warnings.

There are currently 65 beacons installed throughout city hall, the visitors’ center, the police station, both recreation centers and also on various locations throughout the square. Each is about two by two inches and placed on or near a doorway.

The city pays a subscription of $6,000 a year to FAR, which maintains the beacons if damaged or stolen. The app is available on Apple and Android.

According to Downtown Development Manager Catherine Lee, phase one of the project is complete and fully functioning. Phase two gets implemented sometime next year and will include beacons at each fire station, the public works building and eventually local businesses like restaurants.

FAR was founded in 2016 and according to its website there are 7.3 million visually impaired people in the U.S.

Credit: Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)