[Athen] Opinion: is Aira killing or improving independence

[Lucy Greco]

i do not use the  service i am actualy vary aposed to it there take on
privisy and confidentiality  is offal. when i did try and use it they
sucked me in by saying  sure we can help you do things on your computer
like edit a  video well needliss to say they could not i  was better  able
to learn what i needed with out them and a reel person sitting next to me
and helping me lable controles.
 when i used the service to find my way when ubers let me off in the rong
place they sent me in the wrong direction and made me more lost. the
service is    offal and i think to many blind people are willing to show
there agents bank account numbers and medacal information and so on i
dislike the service and there hard push to get it payed for by every one
and that a low income populiss  is  targeted  with a service that is  pour
quolaty and over rated  because people thinks it might make then more
indapendint when it  just makes you look like a google glass ..... with
cords  hanging from your face and wires every wair
Lucia Greco
Web Accessibility Evangelist
IST - Architecture, Platforms, and Integration
University of California, Berkeley
(510) 289-6008 skype: lucia1-greco
http://webaccess.berkeley.edu
Follow me on twitter @accessaces



On Wed, Nov 7, 2018 at 2:49 PM Deborah Armstrong <armstrongdeborah at fhda.edu>
wrote:


> I’ve noticed that many colleges are now supplementing help for blind

> students using Aira. Aira is a service that enables one to use either their

> phone’s camera or special glasses to show a sighted agent what they are

> having difficulty with and the agent assists. The agent can help the user

> navigate, read signs, understand study materials such as charts and graphs,

> and do anything else that “requires” sight.

>

>

>

> Aira is also popular with newly-blinded folk, because it’s an easy way to

> get instant help.

>

>

>

> Their website is here

>

>

>

> https://aira.io/

>

>

>

> And a  an edited description of the new plans is here:

>

> “AIRA Killing Unlimited Plan, Raising Prices for Others, Adding $29 Intro

> Plan”

>

> Reported by  Blind Bargains

>

>                 https://www.blindbargains.com/bargains.php?m=19611

>

>

>

> Copying from that page’s pricing info:

>

>

>

> New Plans

>

> • Intro: 30 minutes for $29 a month. 97 cents per minute.

>

> • Standard: 120 minutes for $99 a month. 83 cents per minute.

>

> • Advanced: 300 minutes for $199 a month. 66 cents per minute.

>

> • Premium (not advertised on website): 700 minutes for $329 a month. 47

> cents per minute.

>

>

>

> Former Legacy Plans

>

> • Basic: 100 minutes for $89 a month. 89 cents per minute.

>

> • Plus: 200 minutes for $129 a month. 65 cents per minute.

>

> • Pro: 400 minutes for $199 a month. 50 cents per minute.

>

> • Unlimited: unlimited minutes for $329 a month. 47 cents per minute.

>

>

>

> Other Notes

>

> • Additional minutes can be purchased for $50 for 50 minutes, or a dollar

> per minute, which is higher than the cost of minutes on any of the current

> plans.

>

> • All plans except Intro can be shared with up to 2 other users.

>

> • Those wishing to use the Horizon glasses also will need to pay an

> additional $25 a month for 24 months or $600 one-time. Horizon is also not

> available

>

> on the Intro plan.

>

> • The plan for NFB members also remains, which is 140 minutes for $99 a

> month, so essentially 20 additional minutes.

>

>

>

> What bothers me about Aira is that it’s tempting to use it to simply save

> time, which works great if you already know how to do something on your

> own. If you need to make sure you put tuna in the sandwich and not cat

> food, or you need to understand the anatomy textbook to prepare for an

> exam, Aira can be a lifesaver. I have friends who know how to use their

> phone to identify packages, and they know how to ask for directions to

> navigate an unfamiliar area. But they use Aira because it’s more convenient

> than struggling. It’s nice to have an Aira agent tell you if your colors

> match or you really are at the right restaurant.

>

>

>

> However, what happens when using Aira becomes a substitute for learning to

> do things on your own?  Nobody’s talking about this, but just as notetakers

> are often used when a student would do better with notetaking technologies

> like Sonocent, my concern is that Aira will become the easy but pricey fix.

> Technology does this too – the modern taxi driver seems unable to cope when

> his GPS goes down. So maybe I’m just a luddite. Still, when I FaceTime my

> girlfriend in Walmart to check the color of a garment before purchasing it,

> I’m glad I don’t need Aira to function.

>

>

>

> --Debee

>

>

>

>

>

>

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