Blind people living in Quebec want the government to help them tap into global positioning system technology to navigate around their communities.

"It's a device I think very helpful for more [independence] and maybe it's going to encourage people to have more mobility," said Monique Beaudoin, president of an umbrella advocacy group that represents associations for people with disabilities in the Outaouais.

She has been lobbying for seven years for the Quebec government to cover the cost of GPS devices for the blind the way it pays for guide dogs and canes. The cost is about $2,000 for a basic unit, and extra for upgrades.

Beaudoin's husband, Alan Conway, who is also blind, estimates he has spent $4,000 to $5,000 on GPS technology, including the upgrades.

The Quebec government has said it will make a decision this year about whether it will fund GPS devices for the blind. Ontario already covers a small portion of the cost.

For Beaudoin, who has been blind since birth, GPS has expanded her world. It helps her create walking routes, track her movements, find addresses and figure out where she is when she gets lost. When she gets to a street corner, the GPS tells her the names of the streets to her right and to her left, and even tells her about restaurants, businesses and public buildings in the area.

Conway still uses a dog, but GPS has already become an essential aid for him that gives him extra confidence when he takes his dog to a place that is not familiar to the animal.

"It certainly takes a lot of the stress out of getting around," said Conway, who works as an interpreter for the government of Canada.

"You get on a bus and you have an idea of about where you are. You don't tend to worry about or as much about the driver forgetting to tell you where you're supposed to get off."