AUSTIN, Texas — Blind and visually impaired veterans received AI-powered smart glasses and hands-on training Tuesday at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Campus for Advanced Research.
East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind organized the distribution at the campus, formerly the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, with the Texas Technology Access Program, the Blinded Veterans Association, Austin Lighthouse for the Blind and Meta.
Meta has pledged 130,000 pairs of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to blind veterans across the U.S., said John Bockstanz, an innovation policy manager at Meta.
“What really makes it special is that these AI glasses are already transforming daily lives for blind veterans, helping them navigate airports, read menus at restaurants and even matching clothing,” Bockstanz said.
The glasses pair a wearable camera and audio with artificial intelligence, allowing users to ask questions about their surroundings hands-free.
Blind and visually impaired veterans received AI-powered smart glasses and hands-on training Tuesday at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Campus for Advanced Research. (Photo: CBS Austin)
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Alicia Lansford, vice president and chief mission officer at East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, said veterans can use them to read mail and cooking instructions, order from a menu independently, learn the address of where they’re standing in an unfamiliar town, and call or text loved ones.
Lansford said one veteran called her group after taking his glasses to a grocery store, where he found the right aisle and picked out his preferred brand of peanut butter on his own.
“Something as basic as finding your own peanut butter at the store sounds minimal,” Lansford said. “But when you are someone with a visual impairment and you have to ask for support for some of those very basic things… [the independence] is massive, because we know how limiting vision loss can be for someone.”
Veterans had to apply and be approved in advance, and each received an individual appointment with trainers to set up the glasses and learn to use them. Organizers said the goal was for every veteran to leave with glasses that were connected and working.
Blind and visually impaired veterans received AI-powered smart glasses and hands-on training Tuesday at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Campus for Advanced Research. (Photo: CBS Austin)
Bockstanz said the program includes training, monthly webinars and community events.
“It’s important that veterans get real support and not just a device in a box,” he said.
Lansford said her organization will keep distributing glasses until its supply runs out. Veterans who could not attend Tuesday can apply for glasses through the Blinded Veterans Association and receive them by mail, she said, and many Lighthouse organizations will provide one-on-one training afterward. East Texas Lighthouse can also connect veterans with resources closer to home.
Information and applications are available at easttexaslighthouse.org/meta-glasses-for-blind-veterans.