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Helping people navigate independently

Navigating successfully in the community is critical to living independently, but people with intellectual disabilities can face unique challenges. UCEDDs have provided assistive technology solutions through their research.  For example, for transportation by car, the University of Kentucky Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (HDI) developed a Driver Rehabilitation Services program in collaboration with the Occupational Therapy Services Unit within the University of Kentucky Hospital. The Driver Rehabilitation Services provides driver evaluation and training services for people with disabilities who want to live more independently within the community. Referrals are made through the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to help clients overcome barriers to employment, which then help lead to improved economic security and mobility. The UCEDD works closely with customers to learn more about their barriers to driving a vehicle and then matches their needs through integrating rehabilitation technology applications as an accommodation through its innovative research. 

The University of Nebraska UCEDD conducts research through cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) technology to support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live more independently.  The VR simulations have been combining engineering and rehabilitation to support children with autism in building their confidence with pedestrian crossing skills. AbleLink Technologies’ WayFinder app seeks to address these challenges and help people with intellectual disabilities get where they need to go independently. Using both visual and audio cues, the app offers simple step-by-step directions to a selected destination.

Routes and instructions can be customized based on each individual user’s needs and preferences. For example, the app can tell users, “This is not your stop,” to prevent confusion when they see other riders exiting a bus. The app also allows users to easily send their location to a family member or friend if they are lost.

Through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Small Business Innovative Research program, ACL provided funding to help AbleLink develop and evaluate the app. The program supports the development of new ideas and projects that are useful to people with disabilities by inviting small businesses with strong research capabilities in science, engineering, or educational technology to participate.

In April 2019, the city of Columbus, Ohio, launched a pilot project using the app to help people with cognitive disabilities and older adults travel more independently on fixed-route bus services.

Users with physical disabilities who use powered or manual wheelchairs can also navigate more independently by using an app called the MyPath real-time wheelchair-accessible navigation system. The MyPath system is a new navigation tool designed to help wheelchair users find the safest and most accessible routes through their communities. It addresses the main problem that current navigation apps do not provide reliable or detailed information about path surfaces, barriers, or other obstacles that specifically affect wheelchair users. Wheelchair users gather data using their smartphones while traveling along different paths. The phone’s sensors (like the accelerometer and gyroscope) record vibrations caused by moving over various surfaces (like pavement, grass, or gravel). Users can also take photos of problematic areas or barriers, such as broken sidewalks or missing curb ramps, to provide more detailed feedback. 

The system uses machine learning to analyze the collected vibration data. It classifies each section of a route as accessible or inaccessible, depending on the bumps, surface type, and slope encountered by wheelchair users. The analyzed and classified information is uploaded to public mapping platforms (such as OpenStreetMap). MyPath then generates customized, step-by-step routes that help wheelchair users avoid barriers and select the best path for their specific type of wheelchair and physical needs. This navigation system is not available yet, but it will be available soon. More information about the MyPath app and navigation system can be obtained by visiting the following sources:

Helping people with disabilities navigate independently is related to transportation. NIDILRR grantees have produced several outputs related to transportation for people with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to:  


Last modified on 07/23/2025

    
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