Aira at The 2024 National Federation of the Blind Convention
The Aira team is thrilled to attend the 2024 National Federation of the Blind Convention in Orlando! From July 3rd to July 8th, Aira will connect with the community we serve, share exciting news and updates, and engage with existing and future Explorers.
The National Federation of the Blind Convention is an annual highlight for the Aira team. The Aira service was unveiled and launched at the Convention in 2016, and the event remains a unique and valuable opportunity for Aira to interact first-hand with Explorers to better understand their needs and experiences. The conversations we have at this convention play a key role in how we develop and innovate at Aira throughout the year.
We want to make sure all Explorers are up-to-date on new Aira developments being shared at the National Federation of the Blind Convention this week, regardless of attendance. Below, you will find information on our exhibit hall booth location and presentation details, resources for staying informed throughout the week, and exciting news on subscription pricing and Access AI.
Aira at the Expo
We’ll be at Booth A5 in the Exhibit Hall at the Orange County Convention Center, West Hall A1. Please come by and meet the team!
Presentations
- Thursday July 4: “Breaking Barriers” will cover exciting new developments at Aira as we continue to expand access to visual information, including AI advancements, engineering updates, and new pilot programs.
- Time and location: 4:00 PM in Salon 12.
- Presenters: Troy Otillio, CEO, and Everette Bacon, VP Blindness Initiatives
- Time and location: 4:00 PM in Salon 12.
- Friday July 5: “Workplace Accommodations for Government Employees who are Blind or Low Vision.”
- Time and location: 7 pm in Salon 8.
- Presenter: CEO Troy Otillio
- Monday July 8: “Leveraging Collective Wisdom: Updates on Building a Blind-Centered Platform Integrating Human and Artificial Intelligences.”
- Time and location: 2 pm, Grand Ballroom.
- Zoom Meeting ID for those not in attendance: 977 2977 7580
- Presenter: CEO Troy Otillio
What to Know Before You Go to the National Federation of the Blind Convention
Explorers attending large conventions for the first time have told us it can be overwhelming. Explorers and visual interpreters working together can help to make it a great experience for all. Visual interpreters have resources describing convention airports, transportation, hotels, and convention centers.
Review the convention agenda in advance to know what sessions you want to attend and where they are located. Create a document outlining your plans and share it with Aira visual interpreters via email or in-app file upload. Planning with Aira visual interpreters may be more convenient on your computer so consider using the desktop solution by logging in at explorer.aira.io to make calls or use our free AI. If possible, arrive at the hotel and convention center a little earlier to become familiar with your surroundings before it becomes crowded. Consider using Aira for tasks like networking with other Explorers, finding your friends, checking out your convention swag, and of course, dropping by the Aira booth!
Using what3words at Conventions
The latest Airacast focused on making the most of convention season. In this episode, Carla Kane, Manager, Aira Learning and Development, discussed the emphasis on navigation training shaped with customer input. Carla also offered helpful tips for navigating conventions with a new tool, the what3words app, which can be used with Aira. You can listen here or check out this blog post tutorial on what3words.
Giveaways
- Access AI Minutes Giveaway: We want to hear Explorer stories about how the Aira free image AI, called Access AI, has been impactful. Aira Access AI is the only platform with free instant professional verification so you can avoid hallucinations and remain confident. We are inviting Explorers to share their stories with the Aira team in exchange for 30 minutes credited to their account. Simply come by the Aira booth and share your favorite use case!
- Wearables Giveaway: We will be giving away several wearables from the Explorer list of favorites for those who answer trivia questions correctly following Aira’s sessions at ACB and the National Federation of the Blind Convention. This will take place at the end of Aira’s Thursday session, with those able to answer trivia questions correctly, given their choice of the available options.
Stay up to date with Aira at The National Federation of the Blind Convention 2024
Follow us on Instagram here to see all of our updates and photos from the convention! And stay posted for a post event recap in mid-July.
No Price Increases in 2025! More Minutes for Metal Plans
We are pleased to announce that there will be no price increases for any of our subscriber plans in 2025. Whether you are on a legacy plan or one of our Metal Plans, your current pricing will remain the same throughout the 2025 calendar year. In addition, we are delighted to offer a special benefit to our Metal Plan subscribers. All new and existing Metal Plan subscribers will receive at least a 10% increase in their monthly minutes at no extra charge. This is our commitment to ensuring that you continue to receive our top-quality services without any additional financial burden. For the full announcement and to view the FAQ, please click here.
Access AI Now Open to All Explorers
We’re pleased to announce that our free Image AI, called Access AI, will be available to all Explorers beginning July 4th! This AI image chat feature allows Explorers to take a photo or upload one from their camera roll, and receive an instant description. There is also the free option to verify the description with a human visual interpreter.
Access AI was launched with limited access in March, but is now expanded to include all Explorers, whether they are subscribers or have a free account. Both Access AI and Aira Verify are free for all Explorers, to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from these tools. If a call is initiated from Access AI, the Explorer will be charged minutes.
Anything included within an Access AI chat session is secure and private, and no information is shared with third-parties. Along with this expanded access, our team has incorporated Explorer feedback into several new Access AI updates, below.
Aira Verify
The Aira Verify feature enhances user confidence and accuracy by allowing Explorers to verify AI-generated responses with human visual interpreters. If an Explorer chooses to verify using this free feature, the visual interpreter will be able to see the Explorer’s chat conversation and determine accuracy. This feature has been updated to improve the user experience of verifying the AI response to make it more intuitive, prevalent and valuable for Explorers.
Chat History
Explorers will have access to a chat history feature, enabling them to view past Access AI chat sessions, rename chats, delete chats, and easily return to previous sessions for verification and follow-up. This can help Explorers save time by easily referencing previous chats.
Verbosity
Explorers can personalize their experience with Access AI by adjusting the verbosity of responses. This feature allows users to choose the kind of responses that best suit their needs—either more detailed or concise. To change verbosity, Explorers can go to “Tab” and then “Preferences” and choose from among three different verbosity levels. Plus, adjust the “Vocabulary” preferences to choose from casual, everyday, technical or default language.
Explorers can also tap on a message to pull up the bottom sheet, or use voiceover actions to select “Quick reply: please tell me more,” to access a more detailed response.
How do I get Access AI?
If you don’t have the app already, download the Aira Explorer app on iOS or Android, or use the web app. Once you create an account or log in, there will be a tab at the bottom labeled “Access AI.” Select it and start exploring with Access AI.
The Aira National Federation of the Blind Plan
National Federation of the Blind members will receive a 20% discount on the offset or individual price of their selected Aira plan. For example, the current individual price for the gold 1-star plan is $132 per month for 80 minutes. With this discount, the price will be reduced to $105 per month. As a one-time offer, new National Federation of the Blind subscribers will receive 25 free minutes of Aira usage. This benefit can only be redeemed once per subscriber.