People who are blind or have low vision will be able to enjoy free Aira access across the Sydney Trains network until the end of 2020.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Aira recently ran a competition allowing residents of countries where the app is available to vote for a business, organisation or location to become an Aira Access Site for the remainder of the year.
After a push by Vision Australia, other blindness and low vision organisation and former Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes, the Sydney Trains network received the most votes from Australia.
Aira users can make one call per hour, of up to 20 minutes, across the Sydney Trains network to help them navigate, plan and undertake train journeys.
Using a smart phone that beams live stream footage, Aira connects people who are blind or have low vision to a trained professional agent to support them to navigate their surroundings.
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Susan Thompson, Vision Australia advocacy advisor, has experienced how Aira can support people who are blind or have low vision and encouraged people to take advantage of the Sydney Trains offer.
“In 2019 I used Aira at the American Council of the Blind convention, held in a huge convention centre between two large hotels. It was 9pm one night and with few volunteers around, and I had to get from one hotel, through the convention centre and across to the other hotel to another convention event,” Susan said
“Using the phone’s camera and speaker, an Aira agent named Peter guided me all the way across, keeping me on track and helping me to navigate around obstacles,” she said.
“Given the importance public transport plays in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision, anything that makes it more accessible is something we welcome and we hope people who are blind or have low vision can make the most of the Aira offer to support them to be more active and independent.”
While the Aira offer is welcomed by Vision Australia, Susan said it and similar arrangements do not absolve organisations of their accessibility requirements.
“Services like Aira should complement other accessibility measures, not replace them. Not all people who are blind or have low vision will use Aira and businesses and organisations need to ensure they continue to implement measure to make their services and locations accessible.”
Aira is available via the App Store and Google Play. More information on Aira is available at aira.io.