Episode Notes Many of our customers have come in contact with User Experience Researcher Dianne Howie as part of our Explorer Survey or product testing. In this episode we get to know Dianne and learn how she helps understand the relationship between people and technology. We’ve also got some important announcements to share about the Aira Explorer app and how you can be eligible to win prizes. Learn more about aira at www.aira.io . Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is p...
Jun 16, 2025•10 min
Episode Notes Have you ever felt like a piece of luggage once entering an airport? The constant movement from one place to another can be quite frustrating. We’re thrilled to welcome back the hosts of “Talk Description To Me,” Christine Malec and JJ Hunt, for an in-depth exploration of airports. Christine and JJ delve into the various aspects of airports before embarking on a trip to Toronto Pearson International, YYZ, an Access Network partner, to demonstrate how Aira works. If you’re curious a...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Episode Notes In our inaugural episode of Staff Profiles, we introduce Wendell Hennessey, who describes himself as Aira’s “Go-to Guy.” Starting as an early “agent,” he has held various roles and currently works as the IT Systems and Security Administrator. In this episode, we delve into what makes every call and interaction unique and special for him. We also get to witness some of his visual interpreting in action. Watch the entire video with Wendell and Chuck. https://youtu.be/hSFZQsAbD5A Wend...
May 26, 2025•15 min
Episode Notes It’s an Airacast reboot! We return to our monthly format with some Aira history and deep thought about technology, discrimination, AI and life with Mike Hinson. So many explorers tell us that Mike motivated them to try the service. Now we look back over 10 years and forward to what AI brings us. Jenine also reviews how to find Access Network offers and use Aira, free! You can contact Mike at speaker@michaelhingson.com. Visit his web site, https://michaelhingson.com . Catch his podc...
May 05, 2025•43 min
Episode Notes Airacast Return from CSUN By now, you’ve likely come across numerous podcasts discussing the 40th annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. The Aira staff gathered to share their experiences in the exhibit hall, during sessions, and in workshops. Join Jenine Stanley as she engages in conversations with Troy Otillio, Everette Bacon, Jill Ratliff, Blake Steinecke, and Dianne Howie. Aira ASL made its debut, and the response far exceeded our expectations. Discover more insights and ...
Mar 26, 2025•44 min
Episode Notes Starbucks is one of our premiere Access Network partners here at Aira. It’s a great place to try out visual interpreting if you’re new to our service. On this episode of Airacast, we brought in the amazing duo of Christine Malec and JJ Hunt from the popular podcast “Talk Description to Me”. They’ll give us an in-depth look at this caffeine icon from Starbucks green to the story of the Siren and her two tails on every cup. Christine will also talk with one of our visual interpreters...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Episode Notes Airacast The Road to CSUN Week 8 Pregame! In only a few short days the 40th annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference will begin. Our Pregame Show features Geoffrey Peddle, Everette Bacon and Jill Ratliff, ready to take the field. Geoffrey gives us a brief glimpse at what our engineers have worked on this year to make our apps the premiere way to receive visual and ASL interpreting. Everette and Jill will talk about their workshops and all the activity in the Aira booth. If you’r...
Mar 07, 2025•22 min
Episode Notes The Road to CSUN Week 7 We built it and they came There are many ways to get free Aira service. With our Build AI project you can not only get free visual interpreting but also help to structure new AI features. In this episode Jenine and BlakeSteinecke, talk about the difference between Build AI and Access AI and how to opt into ten free minutes every thirty minutes. Great for that road trip to CSUN! Check out Blake’s video tutorials on our Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/c/a...
Mar 04, 2025•12 min
Episode Notes Aira is all about the blending of people with technology. In this episode we talk with Kellie Herbert, Vice President of Service Delivery. How do Kellie’s experiences with large international corporations compare to her work at Aira? We’ll also learn about her personal connection to people with disabilities and her thoughts on AI. For more information about visual interpreting, visit www.aira.io . Contact us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This po...
Feb 21, 2025•14 min
Episode Notes Road to CSUN Week 5 Welcome to Aira’s Web App Take a tour of one of the best kept secrets in assistive tech, Aira’s web app. We’ll show you that this easy to use app has the same functionality as our award winning mobile app. Not only can you use the app to call a visual interpreter, you can also use our powerful Access AI feature with your webcam or to recognize screen shots. To get started, go to https://explorer.aira.io . Visit our Youtube channel for more tutorials: https://you...
Feb 14, 2025•9 min
Episode Notes A Brief History of Tech with Geoffrey Peddle Aira’s Chief Technology Officer, Geoffrey Peddle, joins Airacast to talk about the tech behind visual and sign language interpreting. We’ll hear about how Aira works to maximize the important aspects of each app. Geoffrey will also talk about the influence of AI, autonomous vehicles and robots. For more about visual interpreting visit www.aira.io . Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Feb 07, 2025•20 min
Episode Notes In this episode we take a look at what debuted at the 2022 CSUN, the completely overhauled Aira app! It’s now Aira Explorer and it’s everywhere, from the smart phone to the Mac or PC. Check out improvements for low vision users and the plethora of things you can do under the “More” tab. Learn more about Aira at www.aira.io . Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Jan 31, 2025•9 min
Episode Notes Last year at CSUN Aira debuted our Access AI feature for image description. We’ll take a quick tour of its unique tasks and options. Our “Road to CSUN” episodes will come out every Friday through March 7 so stay tuned! Learn more about Aira at www.aira.io . call our Customer Care team at 1-800-835-1934 or email support@aira.io Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Jan 24, 2025•11 min
Episode Notes Our look back at 2024 takes us through the many innovations of the past year. From Access AI to work with Meta Ray-Ban Smart glasses, plus our new Access Network partners, Everette and Jenine cover it all. Then we talk about Aira’s annual customer survey, the upcoming CSUN conference and our 10th Birthday Celebration! Join us on January 29 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm Pacific time https://aira.zoom.us/j/89073345341 You can find the event in the Aira Explorer app by tapping on More, then E...
Jan 23, 2025•47 min
Episode Notes Airacast The road to CSUN! Week 1 In this episode we begin our road to the 40th CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. It’s time again for the Annual Customer Survey. It’s also time for a party! Explorer Call: Wednesday, January 22 at 8:00pm Eastern/5:00pm Pacific with Everette and Jenine’s year in review and more. Year in Review webinar: https://aira.zoom.us/j/88972808424 Take the Annual customer Survey: h ttps://forms.gle/xbLmTsDvEXSxtA4D6 Send your messages to airacast@aira.io Fi...
Jan 17, 2025•11 min
Episode Notes For more information and assistance with your Aira/Meta Ray-Ban connection, contact our Customer Care Team at 1-800-835-1934 or support@aira.io. Check out our Youtube channel for more demos. https://youtube.com/c/airaio Email this podcast at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Jan 08, 2025•10 min
Episode Notes Airacast Navigating the Aira Access Network October was a busy month at Aira. In this episode Jenine talks with Everette Bacon, VP of Blindness Initiatives about the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses experience. Then we learn about the call intent feature with Carla Kane, Manager of Learning & Development. But wait! There’s more! Use those navigation skills at a new and long-awaited Access Network Partner. Resources: Konnie Ellis video: Using Aira with Meta Smart Glassesyoutube.com Ca...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min
We’ve compiled the observations of our visual interpreter provided live during commercial breaks in the debate between Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz. This podcast does not contain audio from the entire debate. It is a summary of what non-verbal cues our visual interpreter described as well as descriptions of the stage and candidates. If you have questions or comments, email us at airacast@aira.io. We’ve compiled the observations of our visual interpreter provided live during commercial ...
Oct 04, 2024•13 min
Episode Notes Join Aira's Meta Ray-Bans Glasses Town Hall to get the latest updates on our integration progress, upcoming beta launch, and Aira's continued commitment to exploring innovative smart glasses solutions. During the event, you'll hear from Aira's leadership about the challenges we've faced and the workarounds we've implemented. You'll also learn how you can help advocate for a direct integration with Meta glasses and be part of shaping the future of accessible smart glasses technology...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Episode Notes The Build AI initiative is designed to help shape the future of artificial intelligence with a focus on the experiences of blind and low vision people. Everette Bacon, Aira’s VP of Blindness Initiatives talks with Jenine about Build AI and how customers can get free Aira when opting in. We’ve also got a special contest for you to win one of four pairs of Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses! For more about Build AI, go to https://aira.io/build-ai-faq . To learn about how you can get entries ...
Jul 29, 2024•22 min
Episode Notes You couldn’t go anywhere this convention season without hearing the letters A I. From ACB 2024, July 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, we bring you our presentation “Putting the A I in ira”. Learn more about all the things we announced and read our blog posts on our web site, https://aira.io . Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Jul 19, 2024•56 min
We announced a lot of exciting things this year during our convention presentations starting with the July 4th NFB session, “Breaking Barriers”. Join our team in Orlando, Florida. More information is coming to Airacast about these initiatives so sit back and catch the energy of NFB 2024! You can learn more about Aira and read all of the blog posts about our announcements on our web site, https://aira.io . Episode Notes Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pine...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 8 min
A quick review of the new features of Access AI, free to everyone in the Aira Explorer app. We cover preferences, chat history and multiple image description. Episode Notes Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast .
Jul 05, 2024•9 min
Episode Notes National conventions are upon us and this year is huge for Aira. Everette Bacon, VP of Blindness Initiatives, will give us news on pricing and plans. Then he and Jenine Stanley will talk NFB and ACB conventions. Carla Kane, Manager, Learning and Development, tells us about the emphasis on navigation training that was shaped with customer input. Carla also brings helpful tips when dealing with convention and a new tool to use with Aira, the What 3 Words app. We welcome questions and...
Jun 27, 2024•49 min
Episode Notes Airacast is celebrating global Accessibility Awareness Day! In this episode we take a look at Aira’s new Access AI feature. You have a number of ways to get image descriptions and other information both from inside the Aira app and through the share sheet. This includes access to verification or direct connection to our visual interpreters. If you don’t have the Access AI feature in your Aira Explorer app, just tap on the Access AI tab at the bottom of the home screen. Then complet...
May 17, 2024•51 min
Episode Notes IN the second of our Events series we bring you coverage of the 2024 Kentucky Derby. The race was exciting but there’s so much more to the spectacal of the 150th running of this first jewel in the Triple Crown. Our visual interpreters give you background on the fashions, the horses and jockeys with a feed live from Churchill Downs. Questions or comments about this podcast? You can email us at airacast@aira.io. Learn more about visual interpreting at www.aira.io . Find out more at h...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 38 min
Aira Events: Total Eclipse of the Park 2024 Eclipse coverage Our customers asked for more visual interpreting at live events. We’re starting that coverage with the solar eclipse of 2024. Professional visual interpreters will describe the activities both in the sky and on the ground at the Total Eclipse of the Park event in Rochester, NY. In cooperation with the South East Area Coalition we’ll bring you live descriptions of the totality when the moon completely obscures the sun. Plus much more th...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 45 min
Episode Notes Airacast Introducing Access AI Aira has added AI image description and verification to our mobile and web apps. We’ve bridged that gap between AI and professional, secure human visual interpreters. In this episode we’ll take you through each of the features of Access AI. What differentiates it from other AI image solutions? Chapter markers are included so you can quickly get to the feature you want to learn. To get on the list for the Access AI beta, go to the Access AI tab in the ...
Mar 24, 2024•22 min
Episode Notes Join us as we begin the fourth quarter of 2023. CEO Troy Otillio updates us on Aira’s activities and spotlights #NDEAM. Sevana Massih, VP of Service Delivery, gives a big update on our visual interpreters and tells you how you can get free Aira minutes and benefit the community as well. How about using Aira to take in an amazing art exhibit? Learn about it on the call. Plus app updates and your questions. You can contact us via email, airacast@aira.io. This podcast is powered by Pi...
Oct 19, 2023•47 min
Episode Notes Have you been experiencing long wait times or difficulty reaching an agent? Aira’s CEO, Troy Otillio, and VP of Blindness Initiatives, Everette Bacon, give an update. We learn about some new Access Network partners. Then it’s a demo of the new feedback process and how customers made it happen with Product Manager, Jodi Barthel. Plus your questions. If you are having difficulty with the Aira Explorer app, please direct issues through the feedback form at the end of each call. You ca...
Aug 17, 2023•54 min
