Motivated by the enrollment of a classmate with a disability at the Dona Escolástica Rosa State Technical School (Etec), logistics students at the institution developed a project that could transform public transit in the city of Santos, São Paulo. The project consists of an audio system designed to assist and offer autonomy to passengers who face mobility challenges.
The proposal by students Carla da Silva Ribeiro, Juliana Entenza Santos, and Rúbia do Amaral Ferreira Conceição resulted in a capstone project (TCC) titled Public Transit, the Visually Impaired, and Urban Mobility. To find the best solution, they researched the difficulties faced by visually impaired individuals, drawing comparisons with existing audio systems in train and subway networks in other cities.
“I have always believed in the potential of this project,” says José Angelo Justo Alvarez, the professor and logistics coordinator who advised the students. According to Alvarez, several initiatives were organized to integrate the blind student across all classes at Etec. “Carla, Juliana, and Rúbia showed a strong interest in developing a project focused on urban mobility and the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals.”
Under the proposed system, blind passengers would receive a transmitter device from the local transit authority and register their desired bus route. When the bus approaches the stop, a signal is sent to the driver, alerting them that a visually impaired passenger wishes to board. The driver then activates an external speaker announcing the route name to alert the passenger.
According to the students, the device will operate via GPS to transmit real-time information, including street names and landmarks. Implementation will require support from a specialized third-party company to ensure the system operates as planned.
To refine the concept, the students conducted interviews at Lar das Moças Cegas, an institution attended by their classmate. “From these discussions, we realized that while visually impaired individuals strive for independence, they often rely on others to use public transit due to a lack of precise real-time location information,” says Alvarez. “The project highlights the critical need for a system that assists this demographic,” he adds.
Inspired by the student project, City Councilor Audrey Kleys drafted Bill (PL) 251/2019, which is currently awaiting scheduling on the Legislative Directorate's agenda for discussion on the floor of the Santos City Council.
The project was also highlighted at the 11th Brazilian Congress of Scientific Initiation (Cobric), hosted by Santa Cecília University (Unisanta).
The proposal by students Carla da Silva Ribeiro, Juliana Entenza Santos, and Rúbia do Amaral Ferreira Conceição resulted in a capstone project (TCC) titled Public Transit, the Visually Impaired, and Urban Mobility. To find the best solution, they researched the difficulties faced by visually impaired individuals, drawing comparisons with existing audio systems in train and subway networks in other cities.
“I have always believed in the potential of this project,” says José Angelo Justo Alvarez, the professor and logistics coordinator who advised the students. According to Alvarez, several initiatives were organized to integrate the blind student across all classes at Etec. “Carla, Juliana, and Rúbia showed a strong interest in developing a project focused on urban mobility and the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals.”
Under the proposed system, blind passengers would receive a transmitter device from the local transit authority and register their desired bus route. When the bus approaches the stop, a signal is sent to the driver, alerting them that a visually impaired passenger wishes to board. The driver then activates an external speaker announcing the route name to alert the passenger.
According to the students, the device will operate via GPS to transmit real-time information, including street names and landmarks. Implementation will require support from a specialized third-party company to ensure the system operates as planned.
To refine the concept, the students conducted interviews at Lar das Moças Cegas, an institution attended by their classmate. “From these discussions, we realized that while visually impaired individuals strive for independence, they often rely on others to use public transit due to a lack of precise real-time location information,” says Alvarez. “The project highlights the critical need for a system that assists this demographic,” he adds.
Inspired by the student project, City Councilor Audrey Kleys drafted Bill (PL) 251/2019, which is currently awaiting scheduling on the Legislative Directorate's agenda for discussion on the floor of the Santos City Council.
The project was also highlighted at the 11th Brazilian Congress of Scientific Initiation (Cobric), hosted by Santa Cecília University (Unisanta).
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
