Sense the Way

Rethinking accessibility through touch, independence, and inclusive design 

For Miyo Macario, the inspiration behind Sense the Way began close to home. 

Watching family members lose their sight due to diabetic retinopathy changed how Miyo understood accessibility and navigation. Hallways and rooms that had once felt familiar suddenly became difficult and intimidating to navigate safely and independently. 

“Many facilities, including assisted living homes, are designed for sighted residents,” Miyo said. “Identical corridors, unmarked doors, and smooth walls offer no spatial guidance.”  

That experience led Miyo to create Sense the Way, an innovative tactile navigation system designed to help blind and visually impaired individuals move through indoor spaces more confidently and independently. 

The system transforms walls into touch-based guides using simple geometric patterns that communicate spatial information through touch.

Unlike many existing navigation technologies, Sense the Way does not rely on batteries, screens, audio systems, or expensive infrastructure.

Instead, it uses passive tactile design that can be installed affordably in assisted living facilities, community spaces, and schools. 

To develop the project, Miyo spent weeks observing residents at homes for the blind in Manila, studying how people navigated hallways, where hesitation occurred, and how tactile guidance could improve confidence and safety.

Interviews with residents revealed that many avoided shared spaces because of anxiety around losing orientation or needing constant assistance. 

“One resident explained that navigating independently required constant focus, leaving no room for distraction,” Miyo shared. “This loss of spatial certainty, rather than the physical environment, was the core barrier.”  

Working alongside orientation and mobility specialists, industrial designers, and residents themselves, Miyo tested and refined different tactile patterns to create a system that felt intuitive, safe, and practical in real-world settings. 

The impact of the project quickly became clear. 

“Sense the Way returns something fundamental: the ability to move through space without fear,” Miyo said.

Miyo recalls one resident discovering a garden for the first time in eight months because the tactile pathways finally gave her the confidence to navigate there independently. 

As an Ingenious+ national winner, Miyo received $10,000 to continue expanding Sense the Way into additional assisted living facilities and community spaces in the Philippines and Canada. Funding will support new installations, resident engagement workshops, accessibility research, and partnerships with local manufacturers to scale production affordably. 

About Ingenious+ 

Ingenious+ is the Rideau Hall Foundation’s national youth innovation challenge, supporting young people aged 14 to 18 who are creating solutions to challenges in their communities and beyond. Alongside funding, participants gain access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and national recognition that help them grow their ideas and connect with fellow young innovators. 

In 2026, 215 young people across Canada received more than $230,000 through Ingenious+, supporting projects focused on climate change, health and wellbeing, accessibility, community connection, and technology. Learn more about Ingenious+.