New Beginnings
Documentary highlights how technology makes our world more accessible
Two Mohawk Journalism students have produced a documentary short that examines how new technology is helping the blind and low vision community safely navigate a Toronto neighbhourhood.
Third-year Journalism students Maria De Teresa and Emily Thompson filmed and produced the documentary, titled New Beginnings, as part of an assignment for their documentary filmmaking class. Maria got the idea for documentary during a internship with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
The CNIB had received funding from the Rick Hansen Foundation to install 200 iBeacons in the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood of Toronto. The puck-sized beacons help those who are blind or have low vision quickly familiarize themselves with new locations such as local businesses by relaying information such washroom and counter locations to their smart phones.
Maria and Emily followed a member of the low vision community to document how the technology made the area more accessible. The 9-munite documentary has been posted to YouTube.
Want to learn more about the CNIB project?
Check out Maria's story on the CNIB iBeacon project at http://www.ignitenews.ca/beacons-more-than-just-an-aid-for-the-blind-and-partially-sighted/
What to learn more about Accessibility at Mohawk?
Check out this article on Mohawk's new Accessible Media Production program that was launched in June 2017.