Sofia Development Association invites you today, October 15, the Day of the White Cane, from 4:30 pm, at Tobacco garden, 6A Moskovska Street, to the presentation of “Electronic Eyes” project, supported by SDA.

“Electronic Eyes” is an idea of young people with visual imparities who wanted to be as independent and active as everyone else. Thus the federation “Sport for People with Visual Imparities” launched a campaign to raise funds and awareness that people with disabilities do not need social benefits to be equal to everyone else.

The regional organization of the blind people in Sofia registered around 1 300 members though the number of people with sight problems is much bigger. The big city does not provide supportive environment for orientation to the blind who want to move around unattended. Only some of the sidewalks in the downtown area have tactile lines. Apart from this and the “the talking subway” and some “talking bus stops” the city is a hostile place for people with visual imparities.

The new mobile communications and information technologies - such as the “Electonic eyes” - create opportunities to improve the life of people with disabilities and to compensate their deficits. Everyone who has a smart phone has access to many useful apps among which a new one that can provide orientation to the blind person regarding the surrounding streets and buildings, to direct them to the nearest bus stop, to let them know which bus is approaching, to advise on the best route.

“Electronic eyes” is a free app that offers opportunities for an active life to the people with visual imparities. It is available only for the capital city for the time being, though the team has the ambition to initiate developments in other big cities, and to increase the functionality of the current Sofia app too. So the campaign goes on!

Disabilities are prominent when there are barriers in the environment. Most of the disabilities can be overcome with the appropriate technical solutions. “Electronic eyes” aims to prove that.