Sightly wins Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s 2021 Congressional App Challenge in Oregon’s First District

When asked what inspired the creation of Sightly, the student said, “I first came to know about the problem during a field trip to several blind organizations. While talking to visually impaired people, I learned about their daily struggles, especially with navigation, and how that is a barrier to their safety and feeling independent. I felt like we (sighted people) take safe mobility for granted, and felt compelled to help in some way, so I talked with them more to further understand their struggles, by shadowing their daily outdoor activities(such as walking across a busy street). They told me that the existing solutions are ineffective because they require a lot of screen interaction, and are limited to the user taking a photo before recognition. Also, the current built-in accessibility features on phones are tedious to get to and use in real life scenarios, requiring several touches and constant voiceovers of the screen. After understanding their struggles, I decided to use my programming skills to create something that would help them navigate safely, therefore helping them become independent.”