Meta wants to give blind veterantheir sight back using its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. Let’s address the first issue you might have with this news: Sounds great, but how are glasses for blind veterans going to help them? Take a look at the donor again.
Also Read: Find all your veterans benefits in one place with the HonorEarned tool
The Blinded Veterans Association of America reports that there are over 130,000 legally blinded veterans across the country and they will all be eligible for a free pair.
Using built-in Ai, the Meta glasses will help blind and low-vision veterans by assisting in reading documents, identifying objects, navigating their surroundings, and generally giving them a more independent lifestyle. Voice commands will also allows blind veterans to interact with their glasses and the world around them.
To ensure that recipients can use this advanced technology to the fullest, BVA and its distribution partners including the American Council of the Blind and Tunnels to Towers is offering hands-on training. This will give receiving veterans the confidence and competence needed to use their new Meta glasses.
Meta notes that this program was inspired by 82nd Airborne veteran Don Overton.
“When I lost my eyesight in Desert Storm from a bunker explosion, I also lost my independence,” Overton said in Meta’s announcement. “The moment I put on my Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I got my independence back.”
Overton actually helped the Meta team develop the features in the Meta glasses that his fellow veterans will benefit from.
”When Don Overton worked with our wearables team at Meta to build features that made the Ray-Ban Meta glasses more meaningful to the everyday lives of veterans, we at Meta knew we had to find a way to reach every blind veteran in America,” Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick said in the company’s announcement.
Eligible veterans can request their free pair of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses through the BVA website. Distribution does require BVA membership and registration can also be done online.
Honorably discharged veterans or active duty service members who qualify for the VA Blind Rehabilitation Service are eligible for BVA membership.
Of course, getting these glasses to every eligible blind veteran is a daunting task. To that end, the BVA is encouraging eligible nonprofits to apply through TechSoup to receive Meta AI glasses for the blinded veterans in their communities. Approved organizations will then complete a BVA-created train-the-trainer course so that they can distribute the glasses and train receiving veterans on their use.
“The Blinded Veterans Association was built on a simple, powerful promise: blinded veterans helping blinded veterans. Our partnership with Meta brings that mission to life at an unprecedented scale,” BVA National Executive Director Lea Rowe said in a statement. “By pairing life-changing AI with dedicated, hands-on training, we are putting true autonomy directly into the hands of 130,000 veterans. We are honored to bridge the gap between technology and human potential, ensuring those who served our country have the tools to reclaim the independence they deserve.”
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