Aira’s Navigation Training

At Aira, we are committed to delivering a consistently professional and exceptional experience for our Explorers. Our Visual Interpreters undergo extensive and comprehensive training, which we continually evaluate and enhance to meet your evolving needs. Today, we’re excited to share some clarification surrounding our navigation training and address some common questions.

Why This Training Was Introduced

Over the past year, Aira has grown significantly, adding many new Visual Interpreters (VIs) to our team. With this growth, we’ve identified the need to expand training for one of the most challenging and skilled tasks our VIs assist you with—navigation. From planning routes to helping you move confidently through unfamiliar environments, updates to navigation training were implemented in June of 2024 to ensure our new VIs were equipped to provide you with the best possible experience.

Who Receives This Training?

Every Visual Interpreter at Aira receives navigation training as part of their onboarding process. For new hires, this certification is the final piece of their comprehensive training program. Currently, only a very small percentage of our VIs—our newest hires—are not yet certified. However, they are actively working towards completing this training as quickly as possible.

You can trust that any VI who hasn’t completed their navigation training is fully trained to assist with all other aspects of your experience and that calls involving navigation tasks are always routed to a Navigation-Certified VI.

What Is Navigation?

Navigation refers to tasks where you:

Get around obstacles in real-time.
Plan routes that involve complex decisions like intersections, crosswalks, or public transport.
Move from Point A to Point B in unfamiliar or crowded environments.

Examples of Navigation Tasks:

Walking down your street while avoiding obstacles.
Walking between stores in a shopping mall.
Planning a bus route.
Shopping for items in a grocery store.
Finding Starbucks in a shopping center.
Locating the restroom in a large, unfamiliar airport.

Examples of Non-Navigation Tasks:

Walking from room to room at home.
Asking if an item is on the shelf in front of you.
Asking if your bus has arrived.
Checking how many people are in line at a coffee shop.
Asking if a restroom is visible in a restaurant you are already inside.

We understand that navigation-related tasks may occasionally arise during a call with a Visual Interpreter who is not yet trained in navigation. In such cases, if you choose to continue with the same Interpreter, they will let you know that, while they can describe your surroundings in detail, they are not trained to provide directional guidance or assist with object avoidance

What Does the “Customize Call” Button Do?

Our “Customize Call” button now includes a “Navigation” option. When selected, it tags your call as navigation-related, signifying to newer VI’s who have not completed their training to not take that call.

This feature helps your calls be routed to a VI who is fully trained. To emphasize, “Navigation certification” is not a specialization limited to specific VIs—it is simply the final piece of Visual Interpreter training.

Call Transfer: Seamless Support

We’ve also introduced a call transfer feature to enhance your experience. If you require navigation support and are not routed to a fully trained VI, or your call requires navigation later on, your call can be seamlessly transferred to a fully trained VI.

At Aira, we’re continually working to improve and enhance your experience. Our Navigation training expansion ensures that every VI is equipped with the skills and confidence to provide exceptional support. With this training, seamless call routing, and our transfer feature, we aim to make every call with Aira as efficient and consistent as possible.

Thank you for trusting Aira on your journeys. If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.

Understanding Navigation with Aira