[Athen] Opinion: is Aira killing or improving independence

Robert Spangler rspangler1 at udayton.edu
Thu Nov 8 08:24:01 PST 2018


This is a tough question. I think that services like AIRA are great in a
pinch, such as in the examples you cited below. Where I will not be OK
with it is if school districts start using it to replace teaching important
skill sets, such as reading tactile graphics, learning travel skills, and
other crucial blindness skills. I would probably argue that children and
or folks who are learning blindness skills should stay clear of services
like AIRA. GPS would be another example - newly blind individuals, or
blind children, who are learning travel skills, should not use GPS. None
of these services are replacements for the basic skill sets. Thankfully,
none of this stuff was around when I was growing up, so I have the skill
sets to manage my travel and other daily skills if my technology becomes
unavailable for some reason, which we all know it inevitably does.

I guess you could liken it to the argument that many schools attempt to
push audio books on their blind students, instead of teaching them braille,
which is ultimately setting them up for failure.

Robert


On Wed, Nov 7, 2018 at 5:53 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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>



--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist
rspangler1 at udayton.edu
Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023
Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)
University of Dayton | 300 College Park | Dayton, Ohio 45469-1302
Phone: 937-229-2066
Fax: 937-229-3270
Ohio Relay: 711 (available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Web Site: http://go.udayton.edu/learning
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