BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Meta is donating AI-powered smart glasses to blind veterans across the United States, a program the company says could reach all 130,000 blind veterans in the country.
Katie Jordan, product strategy and governance policy manager at Meta, said the glasses use artificial intelligence to help users interact with their environment in ways that go far beyond what most people expect from wearable technology.
"Blind folks are using these glasses to read menus at a restaurant, to read mail, to send and receive text messages and calls from their loved ones," Jordan said. "They're using it to describe the environment around them, and when used alongside other accessibility tools like a cane or a guide dog, they're using them to navigate through spaces."
Jordan offered a practical example of what that independence looks like.
"Imagine you go to the airport, and you have your guide dog or you have your cane, and you're able to physically move in the space, but your dog can't tell you where your gate is, or where the restaurant is, or where the restroom is," Jordan said. "The AI capabilities of these glasses really are the thing that is game-changing for folks who have lost their sight."
Meta's newest offering in the line, the Meta Ray-Ban display glasses, includes a small screen in the bottom right corner. Jordan said the device also features live closed captioning and a conversation focus mode that locks in on a specific conversation in a loud, crowded space and amplifies it through speakers built into the glasses' arms — capabilities she said are already making a difference for people in the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities as well.
The company is distributing the glasses through the Blinded Veterans Association and a network of partner organizations. Nonprofits working with blind veterans can apply to receive bulk donations and are then responsible for providing training and distributing the glasses within their communities. Individual blind veterans can visit BVA.org/glasses to learn about eligibility, become a BVA member, or connect with one of the program's other partner organizations.
Meta also plans to hold in-person distribution and training events across the country in the coming weeks and months. Jordan encouraged interested veterans and organizations to check BVA's website for updates on those events.
Partner organizations already involved in the program include the National Industries for the Blind, Oscar Mike, Lighthouse Guild, American Council for the Blind, Homes for Our Troops, and Tunnel to Towers, among others.
Jordan said the response to the program has already exceeded expectations, with organizations reaching out from across the low-vision community — not just those focused on veterans. She said eye doctors have also begun contacting Meta to explore whether the glasses could benefit their low-vision patients.
"We are hearing from folks who are learning about resources for blinded veterans in general for the very first time and getting care for the first time," Jordan said.
The program has also drawn attention through a Meta advertisement featuring Don Overton's story, which Jordan said has helped connect veterans with resources they did not previously know were available.
Jordan credited Meta President Dina Powell McCormick and Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth for championing the initiative internally.
"It's the combination of a lot of passion from folks internally, the belief that this device really can be used in incredible ways, and also the fact that we think that this is achievable to get these glasses to these people," Jordan said.
The glasses' software development kit was opened to outside developers only recently, and Jordan said the results are already expanding what the technology can do. The app Be My Eyes, for example, now works with the glasses to connect sighted volunteers with blind users for real-time navigation assistance and hands-on tasks.
"Where's it going from here? The moon is the limit," Jordan said. "People are developing incredible things, and we're really excited about it."
Anyone who knows a blind veteran or a nonprofit that works with blind veterans is encouraged to visit BVA.org/glasses for more information.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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