Key2Access is Advancing pedestrian mobility with cutting edge wireless technology that allows users to request crossing without having to find and reach the button on the pole.
Rising noise levels in the city are making it harder for visually impaired people to safely navigate with current Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), but there is a high-tech solution to the problems APS pose. Patented by an Ottawa-based startup called Key2Access in 2016. It doesn’t replace cities’ current APS systems. Instead, it connects with and complements them.
The Key2Access incorporates two pieces of technology, including a keyfob that people can carry. The fob has buttons the user can press to activate the signals themselves. It is also available in a smartphone app for iOS and Android, and it’s free.
The Key2Access mobile application helps users understand the world around them by giving cities and private organizations a platform to share location specific information.
A representative from Key2Access said, “We believe in equal access to services for all members of the community and make it our mission to assist municipalities by introducing viable solutions that are designed with the user in mind. Our hand held solutions are customized for the visually and mobility impaired but also support the needs of the elderly, parents with strollers and those with an active lifestyle such as runners or cyclists.”
The Key2Access technology has been officially endorsed by the Canadian National Institute for the blind (CNIB). The company is currently running pilot projects in Ottawa, Montreal, Brossard, and Winnipeg.
