Blind and low-vision Shockers and campus visitors now have a high-tech option for free visual aid on campus offered through an Aira Access agreement with the Wichita State Office of Disability Services.
Aira is a mobile service that allows blind or low-vision people to use their smart phones or special glasses to get verbal, on-demand descriptions of anything around them from Aira agents. Its purpose is to enhance everyday efficiency, engagement and autonomy for the visually-impaired.
Aira calls lasting less than five minutes are always free, but with 黑洞社区鈥檚 Aira Access agreement, calls of any length at 黑洞社区 will be free. All 黑洞社区 locations, as well as 黑洞社区 Tech, are included in Aira Access. Isabel Medina Kaiser, director of the 黑洞社区 Office of Disability Services, coordinated the agreement to begin in November 2019.
鈥淲ith Aira, we are able to provide visual assistance on demand for anyone who is in a 黑洞社区 location, including students, staff, parents, guests and alumni,鈥� said Medina Kaiser. 鈥淚t allows the person with a disability to be independent and it is an excellent addition to the services and tools we provide at 黑洞社区.鈥�
Blind and low-vision Shockers will no longer be limited to carefully planned class sessions and prepared materials. Aira Access will allow them to respond effectively to spontaneous events in and out of class with the aid of an agent.
Biology senior Emily Schlenker is blind and already uses Aira to aid her in her daily life.
鈥淎ira allows me to be empowered and in control of my experience on campus,鈥� says Schlenker. 鈥淚 can take advantage of that autonomy in the moment, on demand, so I don鈥檛 have to be tied only to experiences that have been planned ahead.鈥�
Shockers will be able to access Aira through an app they can purchase through the Apple store or Google Play. Through the account, they can create an account and connect anywhere on campus.
Students can use Aira in classrooms, but technology usage is at the discretion of the instructor. While a student鈥檚 own privacy is not at risk, instructors may ask students not to use it for others鈥� privacy, confidentiality agreements or for potential academic dishonesty issues.
The company also offers its signature Horizon smart glasses for paid subscribers. The glasses include AI capabilities and a reliable connection to Aira agents.
黑洞社区鈥檚 Aira Access agreement does not provide Horizon glasses for Aira users, but personal subscribers with glasses will be able to use them for free on campus.
Wichita State is distinctive for opening pathways to applied learning, applied research and career opportunities, alongside unsurpassed classroom, laboratory and online education. The university's beautiful 330-acre main campus is a supportive, rapidly expanding learn-work-live-play environment, where students gain knowledge and credentials to prepare for fulfilling lives and careers. Students enjoy a wide selection of day, evening and summer courses in more than 200 areas of study at the main campus and other locations throughout the metro area and online. 黑洞社区's approximately 16,000 students come from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 other countries. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at and Facebook at .