<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">hi, Jim, and everyone, I have been using Aira for quite a few years now and I think it's one of the most wonderful and useful apps that have come to our attention in many years. I use it quite often, to find my way in unfamiliar places, and, would you believe, finding my birds toy which fell out the window when I was shaking out the tablecloth that I use so that I could hear his little feet when he comes down the ladder and out of his cage. I used it when I went into Port Authority in New York to find my way to my next bus when I was going to Pennsylvania. Anyway, I just love using this app. I do miss the glasses, though. They gave those up quite a while ago. I have to keep holding the phone, but I understand there are lanyards which you could place around your neck so that you don't have to hold the phone. Anyway, I hope this helps. Esther<div><br><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Sent From Esther's Amazing and Awesome iPhone 7+!</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Oct 15, 2021, at 9:27 AM, Jim McCollum via CT-NFB <ct-nfb@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><br><br><div dir="ltr">Jim Y. McCollum <div>Board Member and Legislative Coordinator </div><div>National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut </div><div>860-581-0430 </div><div>j.mccollum64@comcast.net</div><div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Jim McCollum <Jim.Y.McCollum@gmail.com><br><b>Date:</b> October 15, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM EDT<br><b>To:</b> Jim McCollum <j.mccollum64@comcast.net><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>Fwd: You're Invited: Participate in the Aira Pilot Program [not-secure]</b><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><br><br><div dir="ltr">Jim Y. McCollum<div>860-581-0430</div><div>Jim.Y.McCollum@gmail.com</div><div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> "Ogren, Jeffrey" <Jeff.Ogren@ct.gov><br><b>Date:</b> October 15, 2021 at 8:38:40 AM EDT<br><b>To:</b> ADS_Announcements@list.ct.gov<br><b>Subject:</b> <b>You're Invited: Participate in the Aira Pilot Program [not-secure]</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> List <ADS_Announcements@list.ct.gov><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Dear BESB Client, </span></b><span style="font-family:"Constantia",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">Since today, October 15th, is Blind Americans Equality Day, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and the
Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) </span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">are excited to</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">announce
the launch of an 18-month pilot program offering Aira at no cost to individuals who are blind or have low vision. Aira is a service that enables subscribers to connect with highly trained, live agents in real-time, for assistance using the public transportation
system and other essential services. </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">The Aira service uses a smartphone's camera to stream live video to an agent who provides the subscriber with instant access to visual
information about their surroundings. The </span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Aira Agents use the live video to narrate and interpret what they see for the customer. This can include how to use the ticket
vending machine, navigate one of Connecticut’s busy public transportation hubs, or access connecting services. </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">BESB clients are invited to participate in the 18-month pilot program to access Aira for FREE, a service that would otherwise
cost a subscriber upwards of $500 per year. Your participation and feedback throughout the pilot program will be vital to the assessment of the Aira service and help to evaluate the viability of providing Aira long-term. </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">To get started, we invite you to participate in a short, important research survey that is fully accessible. It will take
around 10-15 minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, you will receive a code that you will need to activate the Aira app on your phone. Here is a </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5d5ONyXG118TOe2" target="_blank"><b><span style="color:#0070C0">link
to the survey</span></b></a></span><span class="xxxmsointensereference"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#4F81BD;letter-spacing:.25pt">.</span></b></span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"> </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">For more information on this program and how to sign up, please visit</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://ctrides.com/aira-en/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color:#0070C0">CTrides</span></b></a><b>. </b></span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information about the Aira app, please visit </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://aira.io/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color:#0070C0">Aira</span></b></a><b> or
call Aira Customer Care at 1.800.835.1934. </b></span><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thank you in advance for participating and helping us make travel more accessible for everyone in Connecticut. </span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white"><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Sincerely,</span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Andrew Norton</span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#201F1E">Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB)</span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxxmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Aging & Disability Services (ADS)</span></b><span style="color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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</div></blockquote></div></blockquote><div><Blind Americans Equality Day 2021 proclamation.docx></div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"></div></blockquote></div></blockquote><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>CT-NFB mailing list</span><br><span>CT-NFB@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for CT-NFB:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale%40sbcglobal.net</span><br></div></blockquote></div></body></html>