🌐 The Sight Tech Global conference is happening now!

Yesterday, Aira CEO Troy Otillio shared how Aira is using human-AI verification to transform navigation, work, and play for blind and low-vision communities.

Don’t miss the rest of Sight Tech Global 2024, continuing today, December 5th! This FREE event dives into the future of AI and accessibility technology.

🎥 Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qiwMpgHB8

#SightTechGlobal #Accessibility #AI #Technology #FutureTech

"✨Me: Serving main character vibes, walking away with sparkle and grace 💅🔥. Them: Left behind wondering why they fumbled the bag 🤷‍♀️😂. Reminder: My energy ain't free, boo 💖🚶‍♀️💃✨. #Accessibility #AI #AppleVis #Blind #KnowYourWorth #SparkleAndGo 🧜‍♀️💫"

If you are a blind person living in the UK, how would you feel about being encouraged to pay for high-tech mobility aids with your Personal Independence Payments (PIP)? Sounds sorta kinda reasonable doesn’t it?

Now, what if it was a charity that spends £128 million a year supporting 4000 people with primary mobility aids doing the encouraging? And what if it wasn’t you being encouraged but the UK government? Ow would you feel then? Would you take a dog, free and clear for life?

#Accessibility #Blind #Disability #Mobility

I wish the Apple community was this enlightened! https://mastodon.social/@accessibleandroid/113599493297086969

We’ve just launched a brand-new #AI Section on Accessible Android. Dive into how AI is transforming accessibility with tools like AI-powered screen readers, smart apps, and real-time assistance features. Discover the opportunities, challenges, and practical tips to make the most of these game-changing innovations. Join us in exploring the future of accessibility on Android.
Check it out now on Accessible Android: https://www.accessibleandroid.com/ai

@NothingLeftOfMe They called me once just to doublecheck I really did want 33 bottles of red wine! Sadly they did deliver 21 packets of BLT sandwiches which I didn’t realise I could send back at the time when I said to the driver did you not think? Do something strange? He said he thought I was having a party remind me never to go to a party at his house!

@aaronjohn0412 I guess it’s always been a problem to solve. Although I’ve lived my life quite successfully for 40 years, it’s still a problem that I’m solving every day.🤷‍♀️

https://applevis.com/forum/ios-ipados/apple-intelligence-falling-short-expectations

#Accessibility #AI #AIsfortheBlind #Apple #Blind

If, 40 years ago, you had handed me your Ray-Ban sunglasses and told me that all I had to say was “Hey Meta, Be My Eyes” and I’d be talking to someone else, on the other side of the world, who could see what I was holding up and could describe it to me – I’d have thought we were in an episode of “Tomorrows World.”

If you’d told me this 400 years ago, we’d have burnt you at the stake.

If, 40 years ago, you had gone on to tell me that if I said “Hey Meta, Look and tell me what this is,” an AI would tell me – I would have started going on about wanting to “play the game” and ‘thermonuclear war’ I was fifteen! 400 years ago, you’d already be well ablaze.

Now, in 2024, I would complain vociferously that they “won’t read an entire page of text.” Ow times have changed…sadly ‘thermonuclear war’ seems like it might be back on our minds.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #ComputerVision #Disability

For sighted students, much of their workflow is seamless. They pick up a textbook, scan a page, and jot down notes—effortlessly. Need to format references for an essay? Easy—just plug them into a tool like Zotero or EndNote, and the software takes care of it. These tools don't diminish their learning; they enhance it, freeing up time for what truly matters: engaging with the material and sharpening critical thinking skills.

Now, imagine being a blind student. Before we can even begin learning, we face an entire layer of barriers. A printed textbook? Useless until we secure an accessible version, often a PDF. And even then, accessibility issues abound—missing tags, unlabeled images, and awkward layouts. Troubleshooting becomes a prerequisite. We must master how to make screen readers navigate the document, extract text from stubborn PDFs, and decipher complex structures without losing our place. Only then can we start the real work: reading and learning.

#Accessibility #AI #Blindness #DisabilityInclusion

I just yawned, and siri randomly responded with "Okay, it's done.". now I'm paranoid! WTH is done? Did it turn on a light somewhere? mess with my thermostat? Cancel a meeting? Gah! The joys of living in a connected world ...

For twenty years, I’ve navigated the internet without sight, always adapting but never fully equal. In the past 18 months, AI vision models have finally given me access to the visual web—spaces like Instagram, once unreachable, are now within my grasp. It feels like I’ve gained a new kind of parity, but I’m still at a gunfight holding a knife. Until these models take another leap in understanding visual context, true equality remains out of reach. Still, every step forward matters. I’m here, shaping the future of accessibility, one challenge at a time. Change is coming, and I’m ready.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #ComputerVision #Disability

"Whoa, I'm shopping by myself! I've never done this before—ever!" -Aira Explorer shopping independently at Walmart for the first time

🌍✨ Today, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we join the global movement to celebrate inclusion, accessibility, and empowerment.

At Aira, this mission is at the heart of what we do. Through our Visual Interpreting service, we empower individuals who are blind or have low vision to navigate the world with greater independence. It’s a commitment to ensuring that everyone can access the opportunities, spaces, and experiences they deserve.

We’re proud to partner with @Walmart to take this mission even further. Walmart now offers free Aira access to all customers, both in-store and online across the United States, making shopping accessible, inclusive, and stress-free for the blind and low-vision community.
Full Story: https://aira.io/walmart-us-wide/

@aaronjohn0412 I can understand that. I guess I have a different view of disability pride because I wasn’t blind all my life. It’s just something that happened to me that I had to learn to adapt to and live with. It’s an imposition and inconvenience. Good luck with everything.

@aaronjohn0412 I’m proud of who I am and part of who I am became blind at a certain point in their lives but why are you proud of being blind?

@DavidGoldfield I’ve been a customer of the screen reader company for 36 years. I want to what’s changed?

@jason That’s cool! Trust but fire fire should always be the way though.

@msbellows Do you feel the same way about Alpha fold as you do about auto generated images of Kamala Harris for instance? Or chat but pretending to be Aristotle. Machine learning and AI is such a very Broadchurch.

@vol4life8657 I read that article the other day when it was first posted. In theory makes sense but how far do we go? Do we all need to prepare for a nuclear war and electromagnetic pulse? What if there’s no technology at all? Can you kill clean and joint an animal? Can you cook an animal?

@gocu54 Me too, but sadly, I don’t think this person knew how to