Over the past two weeks, blind and vision impaired people from Cork city and county have gathered at Vision Ireland’s office on Penrose Quay to receive new Ray Ban Meta AI glasses. The glasses were being distributed as part of a nationwide programme which is bringing this assistive technology directly to people who can benefit from it in their daily lives.
This programme has been made possible by the generosity of Meta who donated 15,000 pairs of Ray-Ban Meta glasses to people in Ireland who are blind or vision impaired. Over 2,000 people have registered their interest since the donation was announced on August 13.
Cork is one of the latest locations to host ‘gifting events’, at which recipients get their glasses, as well as training and support to set them up and use them. This phase of the programme will see 40 such events across Ireland.
USING AI
Cork-based David Redmond, who is blind and works as a Technology Trainer for Vision Ireland, as well as hosting their Talking Technology podcast, explains the significant impact the glasses can have.
“I hear people describe smart glasses every day using terms like life-changing or as a gift of independence. I don’t think that can be ignored,” he said.
“Technology is a massive part of what lets us as blind people participate equally in society, and these glasses can be a hugely valuable tool for a blind person to have in their technology toolbox. They are helping people work, parent, have fun and so much more, and that will have compounding benefits in the months and years ahead.”
For recipients, the glasses offer more than just wearable technology, by using artificial intelligence to provide information about the world around them and support greater independence in everyday situations. The glasses can help users read printed and digital text, identify and describe objects and surroundings, access live translation and make hands-free calls.
LANDMARK PROGRAMME
Chris White, Chief Executive Officer of Vision Ireland, said bringing the roadshow to communities across Ireland was an important part of making the technology accessible to the people it was intended to benefit.
“We wanted people to receive these glasses in their own communities, with the right support and training to get the most from them. Witnessing people collecting their glasses and starting to discover what the technology can do is incredibly rewarding. This is about putting technology into people’s hands and giving them the confidence to use it in ways that can make a real difference to their lives day to day,” he said.
While Anne O’Leary, Vice President and Head of Meta Ireland, said: “I’m delighted that this donation of 15,000 Ray-Ban Meta glasses is already having an impact and getting into the hands of blind and vision impaired people in Cork. At Meta, we believe the future is for everyone, and this landmark programme with Vision Ireland is a wonderful example of how Meta’s AI can be a gamechanger for accessibility.”
The glasses are being provided to eligible adults who are blind or vision-impaired and resident in the Republic of Ireland. Eligible people who are blind or have low vision can register their interest at meta.vi.ie or via the dedicated phone number 01 882 1910.
Vision Ireland is Ireland’s national sight loss charity and has been supporting people who are blind or vision-impaired to live with independence and confidence for nearly 100 years.
