Aira, from a Low Vision Perspective

Many of you have probably heard of Aira. And if you haven’t, you should really consider checking it out.

Founded by Suman Kanuganti, Aira is a free app for iOS and Android that connects blind and low vision users with sighted “Agents,” or Aira employees who have been specifically trained to assist this community. The assistance is provided by use of the phone’s camera and mic to initiate a one-way video call; it also implements GPS location services. Aira offers location-based free access zones through geofencing, as well as free, specific tasks if you’ve signed up for one of their monthly, minutes-based subscription plans. Subscribers are referred to as Explorers, and those who have an account but just take advantage of the free access zones are Guests. Explorers are also able to refer potential new Aira users and will have the cost of the new user’s first month credited to their account (while the referred user gets their first month for free). There are also subscription plans that include a pair of special smart glasses with a camera lens, tethered to a phone. It’s a really cool, hands-free alternative to using the smartphone app, but I haven’t personally tried them yet.

What can you do with Aira? Anything and everything. Typically people will use the service for things like picking out clothes, assisting their children with homework, or finding a specific item in a kitchen cupboard or at a grocery store. A lot of Explorers in the community may use it to navigate an airport, as they’re almost always deemed as free access zones and the Agent will happily describe everything you’re walking past as you journey to your gate — it’s more convenient (and less demeaning) than requesting a Meet & Assist person from the airline, and definitely expedites the process while fostering independence.

Aira definitely isn’t a replacement for a cane or a guide dog. But it is a nice tool to have. For example, they just launched a six-month pilot program with the MBTA here in Boston, making the service free to use throughout the public transportation system (this includes trains, subways, buses, and ferries). Although I don’t travel via public transit as frequently as some, I think free access is a great thing to take advantage of; so often I’ve run into construction zones outside stations or weird signage inside, and it can always be helpful to have a sighted person in my pocket.

However, the partnership isn’t the point of this post. I’m a low vision user. I’ve found that the majority of Aira’s userbase is completely blind, which makes sense to me in what the app is trying to accomplish. While I can see colors and read print, my visual acuity stops after about three to five feet — everything after that is blurry, and it’s hard to see fine details (like a sign across the room, or a person’s eye color). Having Aira when I’m in a store, for example, is definitely a great benefit; I won’t be picking things off the shelves one by one to get a closer look. Instead, the Agent can describe what’s around me. This is especially helpful if I’m in a Wegmans, as the grocery chain is also a free access zone.

Aira has been making strides to collaborate with more and more businesses, making them into free zones. So far, about 200 Bank of America branches are active, as well as most (if not all) Wegmans, Walgreens, and airports. At first, I felt as if I had to think about how this technology might benefit me as a low vision user. But now I’m coming up with a lot of practical ideas: Finding dropped items is a huge one, especially if it’s small and/or there’s terrible contrast. Reading instructions on a frozen meal or baking mix, putting together a piece of furniture, or even making sure my tea kettle is actually on the burner (it’s a stainless-steel, flat-top oven with terrible contrast in my opinion) are all good opportunities to call an Agent. Heck, I was listening to Airacast (which is their podcast), and there was a recording from a CSUN panel where an Agent said she had an Explorer call asking for spying on her son to make sure he was doing his math homework (spoiler alert: he wasn’t).

I’m definitely all in on Aira. I can’t wait to start using it more, especially to alleviate the strain on my vision. I feel like it will help with my tendency to overcompensate, as I can only see out of one eye. Plus, a friend told me it’s common to get the same Agent more than once. That’s pretty neat.