Texas Middle Schoolers Win National Contest for App Inspired by Their Blind Classmate

Mar 27, 2014 8:00 AM ET
Campaign: Education
Jacqueline Garcia Torres, Caitlin Gonzales, Janessa Leija, Cassandra Bauero, Grecia Cano and Kayleen Gonzalez. Photo by: RONNIE ZAMORA

People

By Kelli Bender

The way the visually-impaired navigate new spaces could be transformed by a group of tweens in Los Fresnos, Texas. 

Six girls from Resaca Middle School recently became one of eight teams to win the Verizon Innovative App ChallengeThe team's concept for a mobile application called Hello Navi earned their school a $20,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation

Inspired by their blind classmate, Andres Salas, the middle schoolers thought up Hello Navi as a guide for the visually-impaired. The app is designed to measure a user's stride and combine this information with digital building blueprints, to then give verbal directions that can help users easily navigate unfamiliar spaces.

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