WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.870 --> 00:00:02.970 Using the camera on your device 2 00:00:02.970 --> 00:00:05.490 and a trained person on the other end of the call, 3 00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:09.450 it's easy to get access to high quality visual information, 4 00:00:09.450 --> 00:00:12.390 whether you're choosing items at the grocery store 5 00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:16.230 or trying to find out what mischief your pet is up to now. 6 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:19.620 In this episode, Everette Bacon and Jenine Stanley 7 00:00:19.620 --> 00:00:22.740 join us to discuss services from Aira. 8 00:00:22.740 --> 00:00:26.580 I'm Ricky Enger and this is Hadley Presents. 9 00:00:26.580 --> 00:00:28.050 Welcome to the show. 10 00:00:28.050 --> 00:00:28.980 Hi, Ricky. 11 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:30.150 Hi, Ricky. 12 00:00:30.150 --> 00:00:33.240 It is so awesome to have you both 13 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:38.010 and neither of you is a stranger to podcasting. 14 00:00:38.010 --> 00:00:40.860 There is an Airacast as well 15 00:00:40.860 --> 00:00:44.340 and we'll have a link to that in the show notes of course. 16 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:46.590 But for people who have not heard 17 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:49.320 either of you before, let's just do some quick intros. 18 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:50.730 So Everette, let's start with you. 19 00:00:50.730 --> 00:00:52.380 Tell us a bit about you. 20 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:53.213 Thanks, Ricky. 21 00:00:53.213 --> 00:00:54.510 My name is Everette Bacon. 22 00:00:54.510 --> 00:00:59.340 I am a Chief of Blindness Initiatives here at Aira, 23 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:01.320 but I was a user of the product 24 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:03.630 pretty much since its inception. 25 00:01:03.630 --> 00:01:04.950 Awesome, thanks Everette. 26 00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:07.182 And Janine, how about you? 27 00:01:07.182 --> 00:01:09.210 So I am Janine Stanley 28 00:01:09.210 --> 00:01:13.410 and my title is Director of Customer Success and Engagement. 29 00:01:13.410 --> 00:01:17.670 And what I do is interact of course with our customers, 30 00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:20.550 primarily through our two podcasts. 31 00:01:20.550 --> 00:01:24.660 We have Airacast and we have Access Matters. 32 00:01:24.660 --> 00:01:25.493 Perfect. 33 00:01:25.493 --> 00:01:27.660 Well again, it's wonderful to have you both 34 00:01:27.660 --> 00:01:32.280 and it's interesting because I feel like on this show 35 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:36.704 Aira gets mentioned at least every second or third episode 36 00:01:36.704 --> 00:01:40.950 and it is such an incredible tool in the toolbox. 37 00:01:40.950 --> 00:01:43.530 And when we mention it, we do say that, 38 00:01:43.530 --> 00:01:45.030 but we've never really had a chance 39 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:48.270 to dive into what Aira is. 40 00:01:48.270 --> 00:01:51.240 So I'm wondering if one or both of you 41 00:01:51.240 --> 00:01:54.630 wants to just give a sort of quick elevator pitch 42 00:01:54.630 --> 00:01:56.970 for what Aira is. 43 00:01:56.970 --> 00:02:00.060 So Aira is access to visual information 44 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:04.290 on demand from a trained visual interpreter. 45 00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:07.500 Basically what that means is through your smartphone 46 00:02:07.500 --> 00:02:09.540 or a desktop application, 47 00:02:09.540 --> 00:02:12.660 you can get access to visual information. 48 00:02:12.660 --> 00:02:14.850 So the trained visual interpreter 49 00:02:14.850 --> 00:02:19.320 can see through your camera and can give you information. 50 00:02:19.320 --> 00:02:22.350 They can help provide you with navigation assistance 51 00:02:22.350 --> 00:02:26.430 to get you to and from your location. 52 00:02:26.430 --> 00:02:29.700 They can help you do any kind of visual assistance 53 00:02:29.700 --> 00:02:32.100 you might need, helping you at shopping. 54 00:02:32.100 --> 00:02:34.260 I'll add to what Everette said 55 00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:38.400 with one of our secret sauce ingredients here 56 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.040 and that is security and privacy 57 00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:45.390 and the ability to read and keep secure 58 00:02:45.390 --> 00:02:48.810 your personal information, such as health information, 59 00:02:48.810 --> 00:02:50.640 banking, et cetera. 60 00:02:50.640 --> 00:02:53.760 So for those things that you don't really want 61 00:02:53.760 --> 00:02:56.370 maybe a volunteer or a family member 62 00:02:56.370 --> 00:03:00.625 or somebody like that to have access to on your behalf, 63 00:03:00.625 --> 00:03:04.050 we are here and we've got the protections in place 64 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:06.480 both with our visual interpreters 65 00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:09.090 who sign a number of confidentiality agreements 66 00:03:09.090 --> 00:03:11.910 and also in the background with our software. 67 00:03:11.910 --> 00:03:14.070 Yeah, all really good points 68 00:03:14.070 --> 00:03:15.690 and I think you've touched on 69 00:03:15.690 --> 00:03:18.240 some of the things in my next question, 70 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.580 but we can expand on that a little bit. 71 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:25.020 You know, I think people, when they are new to this 72 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:28.560 and they finally find someone who's giving resources, 73 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:31.590 they get kind of inundated with all of these resources. 74 00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:35.760 And so it's like, "Aira, be my eyes, look out, seeing AI." 75 00:03:35.760 --> 00:03:39.307 And a person is thinking, "Well, I have no idea 76 00:03:39.307 --> 00:03:41.850 "which of these does which thing." 77 00:03:41.850 --> 00:03:43.380 And it feels really overwhelming 78 00:03:43.380 --> 00:03:45.960 and so sometimes people just don't do anything 79 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:48.720 because it's difficult to figure out 80 00:03:48.720 --> 00:03:52.860 what's the right tool for this particular task. 81 00:03:52.860 --> 00:03:56.940 So I'm wondering if you could just go through 82 00:03:56.940 --> 00:03:59.280 some of the things, whether they are mundane 83 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.890 or maybe some really creative uses for Aira 84 00:04:01.890 --> 00:04:03.900 that you've seen people do. 85 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:06.090 Yeah, probably one of the biggest ones 86 00:04:06.090 --> 00:04:08.970 that I hear is finding things that you've dropped. 87 00:04:08.970 --> 00:04:10.500 That's a big one. 88 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:12.450 And I think it's interesting, Ricky, 89 00:04:12.450 --> 00:04:15.187 that one of the first reactions that people have is, 90 00:04:15.187 --> 00:04:17.617 "I'm a little nervous about calling 91 00:04:17.617 --> 00:04:18.907 "because I'm not sure, 92 00:04:18.907 --> 00:04:21.060 "I don't want them to see my messy house." 93 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:24.367 Trust us, but we've seen everything, it just- 94 00:04:24.367 --> 00:04:26.370 You know, it doesn't matter, 95 00:04:26.370 --> 00:04:28.860 the visual interpreters are here to help you. 96 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:33.660 And so things like picking up pet messes, that's a big one. 97 00:04:33.660 --> 00:04:35.250 Lots of reading. 98 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:37.110 You know, I was thinking of 99 00:04:37.110 --> 00:04:39.720 so many different things I've used Aira for, 100 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.760 from helping put together a computer desk 101 00:04:43.760 --> 00:04:47.250 to putting together a table 102 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:49.380 and chairs that are on my deck 103 00:04:49.380 --> 00:04:52.560 from setting up a pizza oven 104 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:54.960 that I have on my deck as well. 105 00:04:54.960 --> 00:04:58.860 From, you know, looking up different ingredients 106 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:01.890 for a dish I want to make, 107 00:05:01.890 --> 00:05:05.100 whether it be out outside or inside. 108 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:07.140 Whether I want to, you know, 109 00:05:07.140 --> 00:05:12.140 do some shopping on Amazon or Target. 110 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:13.800 There's so many different things 111 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:18.800 that I've been able to use Aira for and get information. 112 00:05:19.320 --> 00:05:21.090 I'm sorry, Everette, you actually used it 113 00:05:21.090 --> 00:05:23.760 to help set up some medical equipment, didn't you? 114 00:05:23.760 --> 00:05:24.900 I did, I did. 115 00:05:24.900 --> 00:05:29.900 I have a CPAP machine and it's completely inaccessible 116 00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:33.660 and it's all just this digital screen and nothing else. 117 00:05:33.660 --> 00:05:36.900 And so I had to go through all the different settings 118 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:39.930 and Aira was able to help me do that. 119 00:05:39.930 --> 00:05:41.670 You know, it's pretty interesting. 120 00:05:41.670 --> 00:05:43.800 We talk about the other apps 121 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:45.810 that you mentioned and what they do. 122 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:48.870 I think what makes Aira stand apart 123 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:53.820 is the trained visual interpreters are very professional. 124 00:05:53.820 --> 00:05:57.660 If I had a real life paid assistant 125 00:05:57.660 --> 00:06:01.830 that was at my beck and call, that's kind of what it's like. 126 00:06:01.830 --> 00:06:06.540 So whenever I need something read to me on the go, 127 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:10.020 it's just a simple tap on an app, on a call button 128 00:06:10.020 --> 00:06:13.590 and I'm there talking with a live agent 129 00:06:13.590 --> 00:06:16.800 who's professional, who's gonna get to the point 130 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:18.570 of what I want done. 131 00:06:18.570 --> 00:06:21.690 And I could chit-chat with them if I want to, 132 00:06:21.690 --> 00:06:24.120 but they're not there to do any of that. 133 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:26.005 They're not there to judge me. 134 00:06:26.005 --> 00:06:27.990 It's a whole different experience 135 00:06:27.990 --> 00:06:30.720 than anything else I can describe. 136 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:34.170 And that's why I feel like the service is so valuable. 137 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:36.990 Yeah, it really is a freeing thing, 138 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:41.460 what you said about you can chit-chat but you don't have to 139 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:45.870 and the person is there to do whatever that task is 140 00:06:45.870 --> 00:06:49.980 with you and you're sort of directing that. 141 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:54.450 And it's so nice because with friends or family, 142 00:06:54.450 --> 00:06:56.700 or one of the examples I always think about 143 00:06:56.700 --> 00:06:59.700 is getting through the airport. 144 00:06:59.700 --> 00:07:04.140 I used to need to get assistance 145 00:07:04.140 --> 00:07:06.840 because I didn't wanna miss my plane 146 00:07:06.840 --> 00:07:11.190 and, you know, I felt like could I do this on my own? 147 00:07:11.190 --> 00:07:15.510 Maybe, but I would just prefer a human to be with me. 148 00:07:15.510 --> 00:07:19.350 But depending on who was with me, 149 00:07:19.350 --> 00:07:24.350 they might have wanted to do things differently than I did. 150 00:07:24.390 --> 00:07:29.070 And so that freedom of I'm calling this trained agent 151 00:07:29.070 --> 00:07:32.887 and I'm able to say, "Yes, I do wanna know 152 00:07:32.887 --> 00:07:36.150 "about the food that I'm passing on our way to the gate," 153 00:07:36.150 --> 00:07:38.467 or no, "I'm really in a hurry. 154 00:07:38.467 --> 00:07:42.180 "All I want you to do is give me directions." 155 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:45.900 And there's no hurt feelings or any of that. 156 00:07:45.900 --> 00:07:48.150 It is, oh, you're directing me 157 00:07:48.150 --> 00:07:52.050 in how you want this service, and off we go. 158 00:07:52.050 --> 00:07:53.921 Yeah, it's pretty amazing 159 00:07:53.921 --> 00:07:55.127 going through the airport. 160 00:07:55.127 --> 00:07:58.950 I was just like you, and I travel quite a bit 161 00:07:58.950 --> 00:08:01.920 and I really was a bit frustrated 162 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:05.730 having to wait for someone when I got there 163 00:08:05.730 --> 00:08:07.890 to have someone help me, you know, through 164 00:08:07.890 --> 00:08:10.620 and find my gate to go through security and all that. 165 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:14.190 And when Aira came along, it was completely freeing 166 00:08:14.190 --> 00:08:17.430 and I can just walk right in, go right to security 167 00:08:17.430 --> 00:08:19.560 and never miss a beat. 168 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:23.400 Go and find a Starbucks, find a restaurant if I want to. 169 00:08:23.400 --> 00:08:24.540 Which is great. 170 00:08:24.540 --> 00:08:26.175 Yes, yes. 171 00:08:26.175 --> 00:08:28.057 Yeah, and having that freedom to, 172 00:08:28.057 --> 00:08:29.557 "Oh, there's the Starbucks. 173 00:08:29.557 --> 00:08:32.887 "Now if I don't have the menu memorized, 174 00:08:32.887 --> 00:08:36.007 "I've got my assistant there 175 00:08:36.007 --> 00:08:39.870 "who can read that to me and off we go." 176 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:40.770 Exactly. 177 00:08:40.770 --> 00:08:42.300 So what's amazing to me is 178 00:08:42.300 --> 00:08:43.980 that we've gone a few minutes 179 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:46.470 and somehow AI has not come up. 180 00:08:46.470 --> 00:08:50.220 I really feel like every conversation I have 181 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:54.360 over the past few months or so has somehow involved AI 182 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.420 because it's become such a big thing. 183 00:08:57.420 --> 00:09:02.010 And AI is actually right there in the Aira name. 184 00:09:02.010 --> 00:09:03.180 It's the first two letters. 185 00:09:03.180 --> 00:09:06.390 So I know it's always been sort of in the plan, 186 00:09:06.390 --> 00:09:09.030 but over the past year or so, 187 00:09:09.030 --> 00:09:11.880 it's become a much more prominent thing. 188 00:09:11.880 --> 00:09:14.700 So, in a couple of different ways actually. 189 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:18.030 Let's start then with Access AI. 190 00:09:18.030 --> 00:09:22.440 What exactly is this and why might you use it 191 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.770 as opposed to chatting with a human? 192 00:09:25.770 --> 00:09:28.890 So Access AI is built into our app 193 00:09:28.890 --> 00:09:30.960 and it's basically our way 194 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.030 of giving you image description. 195 00:09:33.030 --> 00:09:35.430 So much like the other apps out there 196 00:09:35.430 --> 00:09:38.460 that do a very similar type of feature, 197 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:41.040 Access AI, you can take a picture 198 00:09:41.040 --> 00:09:44.010 and get a response back from AI 199 00:09:44.010 --> 00:09:46.710 that describes you the picture that you just took. 200 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:50.040 The neat thing is we've done some very creative things 201 00:09:50.040 --> 00:09:53.760 that we think makes our product a little bit better. 202 00:09:53.760 --> 00:09:55.800 A, it is free, you don't pay for it at all, 203 00:09:55.800 --> 00:09:58.560 and so you don't have to worry about paying for that. 204 00:09:58.560 --> 00:10:01.020 Anybody can use it at any time. 205 00:10:01.020 --> 00:10:05.250 But we've built in some prompts that let the AI know 206 00:10:05.250 --> 00:10:09.660 that this is a blind person that's taking the picture 207 00:10:09.660 --> 00:10:13.170 and needs a little bit better of a description 208 00:10:13.170 --> 00:10:15.870 that's detailed towards a blind individual. 209 00:10:15.870 --> 00:10:19.140 We've also put in some neat things, 210 00:10:19.140 --> 00:10:22.830 like if you want to share multiple photos, 211 00:10:22.830 --> 00:10:25.380 like let's say you've taken four or five pictures 212 00:10:25.380 --> 00:10:28.980 of your wonderful dog and you wanna get the best one, 213 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:33.960 well, you can put that in there and you can prompt the AI 214 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.470 to tell you which one looks the most clear, 215 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:41.910 which one is the best picture of all of the five. 216 00:10:41.910 --> 00:10:44.130 And so it's a pretty neat thing. 217 00:10:44.130 --> 00:10:48.300 It can help you label all of your photos in your phone. 218 00:10:48.300 --> 00:10:51.060 And what else am I missing, Jenine? 219 00:10:51.060 --> 00:10:51.893 Oh, goodness. 220 00:10:51.893 --> 00:10:55.050 The big thing that we just added 221 00:10:55.050 --> 00:10:57.630 was verification with an agent, 222 00:10:57.630 --> 00:10:59.370 so one of our visual interpreters. 223 00:10:59.370 --> 00:11:01.860 So you can now, if you're just not sure, 224 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:04.380 you've got an image, you've got a description 225 00:11:04.380 --> 00:11:06.217 and you think, "Wait, is that correct? 226 00:11:06.217 --> 00:11:07.470 "I'm not sure." 227 00:11:07.470 --> 00:11:09.073 You can verify that with 228 00:11:09.073 --> 00:11:11.910 one of our visual interpreters between calls. 229 00:11:11.910 --> 00:11:13.800 They take those verifications, 230 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:16.320 they look to tell you if the AI is correct 231 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:18.390 and if it's not, they're going to correct 232 00:11:18.390 --> 00:11:20.760 whatever that error is and let you know. 233 00:11:20.760 --> 00:11:22.260 And this is really important 234 00:11:22.260 --> 00:11:24.810 if you do something like take a COVID test, 235 00:11:24.810 --> 00:11:28.680 please verify those results with a live human. 236 00:11:28.680 --> 00:11:31.290 You can also connect directly to 237 00:11:31.290 --> 00:11:35.610 an Aira visual interpreter from inside Access AI 238 00:11:35.610 --> 00:11:37.950 and that interpreter will be able to see 239 00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:41.880 everything that you've done with the AI tool. 240 00:11:41.880 --> 00:11:44.730 And so, you know, you can do that as well. 241 00:11:44.730 --> 00:11:46.440 Yeah, really great feature 242 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:48.840 because as awesome as AI is, 243 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:51.900 it can get things wrong at times. 244 00:11:51.900 --> 00:11:55.680 And so it's one of those trust but verify things 245 00:11:55.680 --> 00:11:58.680 where if it is essential that you have 246 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:01.830 that information correct, you know, 247 00:12:01.830 --> 00:12:05.310 if it's not something subjective or whatever it is, 248 00:12:05.310 --> 00:12:08.430 just reach out and get that info from a human 249 00:12:08.430 --> 00:12:10.650 right there in the same app. 250 00:12:10.650 --> 00:12:13.890 So Everette, you touched a little bit earlier on, 251 00:12:13.890 --> 00:12:17.070 Aira is a paid service, 252 00:12:17.070 --> 00:12:19.470 but there's a lot that you do 253 00:12:19.470 --> 00:12:23.790 to minimize what users need to pay 254 00:12:23.790 --> 00:12:26.970 'cause I think we're all in very different situations 255 00:12:26.970 --> 00:12:31.170 and what we can afford is different from person to person. 256 00:12:31.170 --> 00:12:34.620 And so I'm wondering if we can talk about that a bit more. 257 00:12:34.620 --> 00:12:37.500 We will of course have a link to Aira 258 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:40.440 and some of those payment plans 259 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:43.560 and descriptions of what they are. 260 00:12:43.560 --> 00:12:48.560 But for all of these tasks that people are doing, 261 00:12:48.900 --> 00:12:50.880 Aira's looking at partnerships 262 00:12:50.880 --> 00:12:54.000 to make those free or very low cost. 263 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.280 So why don't we talk about some 264 00:12:56.280 --> 00:13:00.390 of those recent access offers, which is what you call them. 265 00:13:00.390 --> 00:13:03.000 So things that people can do 266 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:04.980 and have access to Aira 267 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:08.342 without needing to pay for those minutes. 268 00:13:08.342 --> 00:13:09.450 Sure. 269 00:13:09.450 --> 00:13:11.520 We're really proud of our access partners 270 00:13:11.520 --> 00:13:15.570 and Jenine is doing a marvelous job of highlighting them 271 00:13:15.570 --> 00:13:17.700 with our podcast each month. 272 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:21.000 So I may forget one and Jenine, 273 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:23.880 just, you know, if I forget one, let me know. 274 00:13:23.880 --> 00:13:27.450 On a retail level, we have partnerships 275 00:13:27.450 --> 00:13:29.370 with Walmart right now. 276 00:13:29.370 --> 00:13:30.810 We have a pilot with Walmart 277 00:13:30.810 --> 00:13:33.120 and we're hoping it will continue 278 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:35.460 to be a full-time access offer 279 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:38.160 throughout the year and years to come. 280 00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:40.170 So you can use Aira for free 281 00:13:40.170 --> 00:13:42.930 at any Walmart right now in the United States 282 00:13:42.930 --> 00:13:44.610 or at walmart.com. 283 00:13:44.610 --> 00:13:47.640 So, you know, just pull up the app. 284 00:13:47.640 --> 00:13:51.390 The app automatically tells you you're at a Walmart store 285 00:13:51.390 --> 00:13:53.500 and this is a free Aira access location 286 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:55.800 and you can use Aira for free 287 00:13:55.800 --> 00:13:58.860 for as long as you want in the store or online. 288 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:01.500 And then Target is another access offer. 289 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:04.166 Target is a full-fledged service 290 00:14:04.166 --> 00:14:07.140 and will continue to do that. 291 00:14:07.140 --> 00:14:11.370 And so you can use Target both in Target stores or online. 292 00:14:11.370 --> 00:14:16.260 We've partnered with lots of museums throughout the country. 293 00:14:16.260 --> 00:14:17.370 Some of the biggest ones, 294 00:14:17.370 --> 00:14:20.340 the Smithsonians in Washington DC, 295 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:22.320 Natural History Museum here in Utah. 296 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.558 There's museums, a big one in Chicago 297 00:14:25.558 --> 00:14:28.062 that I'm forgetting the name of. 298 00:14:28.062 --> 00:14:30.310 Oh, Shedd Aquarium, yeah. 299 00:14:30.310 --> 00:14:31.492 Thank you. 300 00:14:31.492 --> 00:14:32.325 Yeah, Shedd Aquarium, yeah. 301 00:14:32.325 --> 00:14:33.158 There's just so many, 302 00:14:33.158 --> 00:14:36.570 there's probably close to 100 museums across the country 303 00:14:36.570 --> 00:14:38.820 that you can use it at across the country 304 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:40.620 and we're growing all the time. 305 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:44.418 Many airports across the country, you can use it for free. 306 00:14:44.418 --> 00:14:46.650 And the neat thing about an airport 307 00:14:46.650 --> 00:14:51.650 is you can pull up the app usually when you're in the car 308 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.870 and you've just pulled into the airport vicinity 309 00:14:54.870 --> 00:14:57.300 and it'll automatically notify you 310 00:14:57.300 --> 00:14:59.700 that you are in an Aira access location 311 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.910 and you're at the airport and you can use it for free there. 312 00:15:02.910 --> 00:15:05.730 Gosh, what are the things that I'm forgetting, Jenine? 313 00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:07.770 We've got a couple cities, in fact. 314 00:15:07.770 --> 00:15:11.340 The city of Mesa, Arizona, for example, 315 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:13.320 is an Aira access location 316 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:15.540 for all of their public facilities. 317 00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:17.340 The state of Colorado. 318 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:19.350 Can you imagine an entire state? 319 00:15:19.350 --> 00:15:22.320 Well, all of the state facilities in Colorado 320 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:24.690 including their state parks, 321 00:15:24.690 --> 00:15:26.970 which is pretty amazing to me 322 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:28.140 'cause they've got some 323 00:15:28.140 --> 00:15:30.690 absolutely incredible state parks there. 324 00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:34.230 But all of those are Aira access locations 325 00:15:34.230 --> 00:15:38.100 and then we also have offers from different states 326 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:41.490 with their blindness rehab state organizations. 327 00:15:41.490 --> 00:15:46.320 And so if you are a client of a state rehab organization, 328 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:47.550 you may wanna check with them 329 00:15:47.550 --> 00:15:49.950 to see if they can provide Aira 330 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:53.280 as part of your rehabilitation plan 331 00:15:53.280 --> 00:15:55.500 and adjustment to blindness plan. 332 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:57.240 Yeah, there's like states like Alabama, 333 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.692 Ohio, Texas, just to name a few. 334 00:16:00.692 --> 00:16:01.525 Yeah. 335 00:16:01.525 --> 00:16:04.027 Yeah, and what's cool is if you're thinking, 336 00:16:04.027 --> 00:16:08.047 "Well, how do I figure out if the thing I want to do 337 00:16:08.047 --> 00:16:09.900 "is an access offer?" 338 00:16:09.900 --> 00:16:12.750 There's actually a spot right there in the app 339 00:16:12.750 --> 00:16:15.930 where you can browse all of those things 340 00:16:15.930 --> 00:16:20.220 and go, "Yay, my airport is an access location." 341 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:24.240 Which mine finally is as of I think about a year ago 342 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.900 and very thankful for that. 343 00:16:27.900 --> 00:16:32.490 So we have primarily talked about Aira, 344 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:37.380 I think we have at least implied that this is a thing 345 00:16:37.380 --> 00:16:40.080 that you use from your smartphone, 346 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:43.680 but there are actually a number of ways 347 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:46.350 that people can use Aira 348 00:16:46.350 --> 00:16:49.860 beyond an iPhone or an Android device. 349 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:53.100 I know a blind shell is one of those things. 350 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:55.230 So if you're not into that 351 00:16:55.230 --> 00:16:58.710 lovely flat piece of glass touch screen 352 00:16:58.710 --> 00:17:01.620 and you have a blind shell, you'll be able to use it there. 353 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:05.400 What are some other places that people can access Aira? 354 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:07.440 Some other platforms, I guess? 355 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:08.940 Well, first and foremost, 356 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:10.530 yeah, desktop application. 357 00:17:10.530 --> 00:17:14.190 So you can, it's a pretty simple thing. 358 00:17:14.190 --> 00:17:16.140 It's not an app you download or anything, 359 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:19.440 it's just simply a website that you go to. 360 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:24.440 Explorer, E-X-P-L-O-R-E-R.aira, A-I-R-A.io 361 00:17:27.060 --> 00:17:31.680 and you can log in using your same login credentials 362 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.530 and you can use Aira on the desktop. 363 00:17:34.530 --> 00:17:36.270 You can work with a trained visual interpreter 364 00:17:36.270 --> 00:17:37.950 if you want to share your screen. 365 00:17:37.950 --> 00:17:39.614 So that would be like if you 366 00:17:39.614 --> 00:17:43.080 are having trouble with the website or something 367 00:17:43.080 --> 00:17:46.470 and you just need someone to maybe click the mouse for you 368 00:17:46.470 --> 00:17:48.210 or show you where something is, 369 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:49.290 that would be the kind of thing 370 00:17:49.290 --> 00:17:52.020 that you could do on that desktop app. 371 00:17:52.020 --> 00:17:54.270 Yep, that is exactly right. 372 00:17:54.270 --> 00:17:55.103 Great. 373 00:17:55.103 --> 00:17:56.943 And then we also offer Aira 374 00:17:56.943 --> 00:17:58.530 with the Envision Glasses. 375 00:17:58.530 --> 00:18:02.850 So if you're an Envision Glasses user, you can use Aira. 376 00:18:02.850 --> 00:18:05.610 It is available on that platform. 377 00:18:05.610 --> 00:18:08.700 Then we have also figured out a way 378 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.060 to offer Aira on the Meta glasses. 379 00:18:12.060 --> 00:18:14.940 So we don't have a direct partnership with Meta. 380 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:16.590 We would love to get one at some point, 381 00:18:16.590 --> 00:18:20.250 but our engineering team is pretty resourceful 382 00:18:20.250 --> 00:18:22.710 and pretty phenomenal and they have figured out 383 00:18:22.710 --> 00:18:26.040 a workaround and it's really pretty awesome 384 00:18:26.040 --> 00:18:28.830 because now you're using those glasses. 385 00:18:28.830 --> 00:18:29.663 That's great. 386 00:18:29.663 --> 00:18:32.310 And I know we get so, so many calls 387 00:18:32.310 --> 00:18:34.434 about Meta glasses specifically. 388 00:18:34.434 --> 00:18:35.789 Oh, I bet. 389 00:18:35.789 --> 00:18:39.856 As Everette said, it's a really easy process 390 00:18:39.856 --> 00:18:43.680 to have that hands-free access, which is so nice, 391 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.640 whether it's on Envision or on the Meta glasses 392 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:50.970 to get everything that you would normally do on your phone 393 00:18:50.970 --> 00:18:53.820 and now you're sort of wearing it on your face 394 00:18:53.820 --> 00:18:56.160 so it's very convenient. 395 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:00.210 Gosh, we've covered a ton of stuff 396 00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:03.390 and if your head is spinning, 397 00:19:03.390 --> 00:19:05.670 then, you know, we here at Hadley 398 00:19:05.670 --> 00:19:08.040 and certainly Aira is here too 399 00:19:08.040 --> 00:19:11.280 to answer those questions for you. 400 00:19:11.280 --> 00:19:14.317 So don't be afraid to reach out and say, 401 00:19:14.317 --> 00:19:15.660 "Can Aira do this?" 402 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:18.067 Or, "I was a little confused about 403 00:19:18.067 --> 00:19:23.067 "how I might go about tackling this particular task." 404 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:25.170 But we have covered a lot. 405 00:19:25.170 --> 00:19:26.820 Maybe we've missed something though, 406 00:19:26.820 --> 00:19:29.580 so we'll just do kind of a final thoughts 407 00:19:29.580 --> 00:19:31.680 sort of thing from each of you. 408 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:33.510 So whether we've missed something 409 00:19:33.510 --> 00:19:34.800 or whether there's just something 410 00:19:34.800 --> 00:19:38.160 that you want people to take away from this. 411 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:41.618 A lot of times people are hesitant 412 00:19:41.618 --> 00:19:44.640 to jump into something new. 413 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:47.850 'Cause at least speaking for myself, I don't like change 414 00:19:47.850 --> 00:19:52.800 and, you know, it feels a little uncomfortable 415 00:19:52.800 --> 00:19:56.070 to ask for help at times as well. 416 00:19:56.070 --> 00:19:58.860 So any final thoughts that you would leave people with 417 00:19:58.860 --> 00:20:02.130 if they're on the fence and haven't tried Aira yet? 418 00:20:02.130 --> 00:20:03.720 Jenine, let's start with you. 419 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:05.667 Well, I have two thoughts for you 420 00:20:05.667 --> 00:20:07.500 and the first one very quickly 421 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.860 is that Aira gives you autonomy. 422 00:20:10.860 --> 00:20:13.080 So I'm not saying you're never 423 00:20:13.080 --> 00:20:15.180 going to need your friends or family, 424 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:18.030 it just means that you have the choice 425 00:20:18.030 --> 00:20:21.300 of where you get your visual assistance and how you get it. 426 00:20:21.300 --> 00:20:23.730 The other thing I want to say is 427 00:20:23.730 --> 00:20:25.980 that Everette's team in customer care, 428 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:29.310 if all of this is making your head spin, as Ricky said, 429 00:20:29.310 --> 00:20:33.870 they are amazing at walking you through technical issues, 430 00:20:33.870 --> 00:20:37.050 at helping you get set up with things like the Meta glasses. 431 00:20:37.050 --> 00:20:40.890 So if you ever have a question, please call them. 432 00:20:40.890 --> 00:20:41.723 Excellent. 433 00:20:41.723 --> 00:20:42.556 Thanks, Jenine. 434 00:20:42.556 --> 00:20:43.560 How about you, Everette? 435 00:20:43.560 --> 00:20:46.560 I echo everything Jenine just said. 436 00:20:46.560 --> 00:20:50.850 The thing that I would just kind of try to reiterate is 437 00:20:50.850 --> 00:20:53.730 it is a very easy product to use. 438 00:20:53.730 --> 00:20:56.700 I know people get so intimidated 439 00:20:56.700 --> 00:21:00.690 by all the different technology tools that are out there 440 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:04.080 and Aira is one tool of many, 441 00:21:04.080 --> 00:21:08.304 but Aira can provide a lot of information 442 00:21:08.304 --> 00:21:10.920 where if you didn't feel comfortable 443 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:13.800 using all the different apps that are out there, 444 00:21:13.800 --> 00:21:16.200 Aira can meet a lot of those needs. 445 00:21:16.200 --> 00:21:18.060 We have worked very hard 446 00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:20.490 with the blind and low vision community. 447 00:21:20.490 --> 00:21:25.020 We have a number of blind advisors, 448 00:21:25.020 --> 00:21:28.680 testers that are always using 449 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:31.290 and testing any new feature we have 450 00:21:31.290 --> 00:21:33.660 to try to keep it very simple, 451 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:37.050 very easy to use, intuitive. 452 00:21:37.050 --> 00:21:38.886 So it just makes sense. 453 00:21:38.886 --> 00:21:42.420 And I've watched so many blind people over the years 454 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:45.120 that are a little intimidated by technology 455 00:21:45.120 --> 00:21:48.120 and once they get the app open and they try it, 456 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:49.927 they go, "Oh, that really wasn't that hard. 457 00:21:49.927 --> 00:21:51.990 "That was much easier than I thought it would be." 458 00:21:51.990 --> 00:21:54.690 And then they start using the product 459 00:21:54.690 --> 00:21:55.860 more and more and more. 460 00:21:55.860 --> 00:21:58.560 And so I urge people to give it a try 461 00:21:58.560 --> 00:22:01.260 and let us know if you have any questions 462 00:22:01.260 --> 00:22:03.120 and we'll be happy to help you. 463 00:22:03.120 --> 00:22:05.730 Wonderful and you're so right about that. 464 00:22:05.730 --> 00:22:07.710 That first call, once you get that 465 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:10.207 first call under your belt, it's like, 466 00:22:10.207 --> 00:22:12.547 "You know, that really wasn't so bad. 467 00:22:12.547 --> 00:22:14.437 "I was nervous to speak to a person 468 00:22:14.437 --> 00:22:16.738 "or I wasn't sure I could find 469 00:22:16.738 --> 00:22:19.230 the button to call or whatever it is." 470 00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:20.850 And once you've done it once 471 00:22:20.850 --> 00:22:23.130 you kind of realize this is a tool 472 00:22:23.130 --> 00:22:27.847 that can fit in my daily life and help me with things. 473 00:22:27.847 --> 00:22:31.080 Thank you both so much, Jenine and Everette, 474 00:22:31.080 --> 00:22:36.080 for stopping by, spending a little time talking about Aira. 475 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:39.090 It's clear that both of you really love what you do. 476 00:22:39.090 --> 00:22:42.000 I think being customers-first 477 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.690 and then having the opportunity to kind of join the team 478 00:22:45.690 --> 00:22:49.710 and add your expertise to a thing that you already love, 479 00:22:49.710 --> 00:22:51.240 wonderful stuff. 480 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:52.380 Thanks again. 481 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:54.166 We appreciate having you. 482 00:22:54.166 --> 00:22:55.398 Thank you, Ricky. 483 00:22:55.398 --> 00:22:56.630 Thank you, Ricky. 484 00:22:56.630 --> 00:22:57.463 Thank you for having us 485 00:22:57.463 --> 00:22:58.890 and thank you for everything Hadley does. 486 00:22:58.890 --> 00:23:01.680 It's a wonderful service you guys provide. 487 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:02.970 Absolutely. 488 00:23:02.970 --> 00:23:04.170 We appreciate that. 489 00:23:04.170 --> 00:23:05.003 Thank you. 490 00:23:06.450 --> 00:23:08.130 Got something to say? 491 00:23:08.130 --> 00:23:11.580 Share your thoughts about this episode of Hadley Presents, 492 00:23:11.580 --> 00:23:14.160 or make suggestions for future episodes. 493 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:15.900 We'd love to hear from you. 494 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:20.880 Send us an email at podcast@hadleyhelps.org. 495 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:25.097 That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T @hadleyhelps.org 496 00:23:27.570 --> 00:23:32.130 or leave us a message at 847-784-2870. 497 00:23:34.320 --> 00:23:35.463 Thanks for listening.