Case study · Córdoba, Spain
Every veterinary clinic in Córdoba, accessible from the storefront.
How the Official College of Veterinarians of Córdoba and the City Council, under the Córdoba Incluye programme, brought NaviLens to 136 veterinary centres across the province so that any person — and their guide dog — can find them.
136
Veterinary centres in Córdoba with NaviLens
1st
European city with accessible veterinary centres
Córdoba Incluye
Municipal accessibility programme
42
Languages read aloud from the storefront
The client
Official College of Veterinarians
of Córdoba
The Official College of Veterinarians of Córdoba, chaired by José María de Torres, brings together the registered veterinary clinics of the capital and the province. In March 2024 it launched, together with the Córdoba City Council through the Córdoba Incluye programme, the project “Accessible and Nearby Veterinary Centres”.
The goal: turn Córdoba into the first European city with accessible veterinary centres. A sticker with a NaviLens code, placed in a visible spot on the storefront (window or wall as close to the door as possible), lets the NaviLens app detect the clinic from a distance and read aloud its name, address, opening hours and on-call info in 42 languages.
The project is part of Córdoba’s wider accessibility strategy — already a pioneer on AUCORSA urban buses, taxis, pharmacies, ATMs, opticians and municipal buildings — and builds on the agreement between the Andalusian Council of Veterinary Colleges and the Andalusian guide-dog users association to better serve these animals and the people who depend on them.
§ The challenge
So no carer misses the vet’s door.
- 01
Finding the clinic without seeing it
For a blind or low-vision person — and for their guide dog — locating the door of the veterinary centre on an unfamiliar street is one of the critical points of the visit. Classic signs can’t be read from a distance.
- 02
Knowing if it’s open, without going in
Hours, on-call info and services are usually printed on the window, in small type and at a specific height. Without accessible reading, you have to ask inside or call by phone.
- 03
One language across the whole college network
The College wanted a single identifier — a “Veterinary Centre” sticker with a NaviLens code — on the storefront of every registered clinic, so the experience would be the same in any neighbourhood of Córdoba and across the province.
§ The solution
One sticker on every
storefront.
Every registered clinic places the “Veterinary Centre” sticker with the NaviLens code near the door. The NaviLens app detects it from several metres away, while moving and without aiming.
The user hears the centre name, its exact address, opening hours and on-call info, also in English, French, German or Arabic. Once there, care for the guide dog is supported by the Andalusian agreement signed by the Council of Colleges.
§ Timeline
From a college-wide idea to 136 storefronts.
- 12 Mar 2024
Launch of the “Accessible and Nearby Veterinary Centres” project
The Official College of Veterinarians of Córdoba and the City Council, within the “Córdoba Incluye” programme, present the project: a sticker with a NaviLens code is placed on each clinic’s storefront so the NaviLens app can detect it from a distance and read aloud proximity, hours and on-call info.
- 21 Mar 2024
Public presentation at the College headquarters
The event takes place at the Official College of Veterinarians of Córdoba with the participation of its president José María de Torres, municipal representatives and guide-dog users. The first “Veterinary Centre” stickers are handed out with the NaviLens code and the logos of Córdoba Incluye, University of Córdoba and the NaviLens project.
- 22 Mar 2024
Canal Sur coverage — 136 active centres
Canal Sur reports that 136 veterinary centres in the province of Córdoba already feature the NaviLens code. The broadcaster highlights that the system “will be extended throughout the province” and that it adds to pharmacies, ATMs, taxi ranks and buses already signed.
- Sept 2024
Meeting with Andalusian guide-dog users
The College organises a meeting between veterinarians from Córdoba and guide-dog users from Andalusia, as part of the agreement signed by the Andalusian Council of Veterinary Colleges to better serve the needs of these animals and the people who depend on them.
§ On the ground
NaviLens stickers on Córdoba’s clinics.
§ What they said
What they said about the project.
“Our aim is to make our establishments an even more accessible space for the entire population, especially blind and low-vision people. Our hope is to be the first European city with accessible veterinary centres.”
“136 veterinary centres in the province of Córdoba already have the NaviLens code. It will be extended across the province and is already implemented in pharmacies, ATMs, taxi ranks and buses, to make things a little easier for those who can’t see.”
“The NaviLens code arrives to make Córdoba more inclusive for blind people. At the Official College of Veterinarians, the system that helps make smarter, more inclusive and more accessible cities has been presented.”
§ Results
A truly accessible college network.
136
Clinics with NaviLens code on the storefront
100%
Of the sticker info (centre, hours, on-call) read aloud
Province-wide
Municipal deployment extending to the whole province of Córdoba
§ And your centre?
Every classroom and clinic can be guided by voice.
Tell us about your centre, your journeys and your users. We’ll show you how NaviLens would make wayfinding easier.
