ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) -- The Strong National Museum of Play this week announced a new partnership with an app called Aira. The app, meant for people with low vision or blindness, will connect you to a live professional visual interpreter to help you better see the world around you and even navigate through daily tasks.
Through this new collaboration, according to Shane Rhinewald, the Senior Director of Communications at the Strong National Museum of Play, use of the app will be free while you're on the museum grounds.
"This is an app that our guests who are blind or have low vision, it's an opportunity for them to connect with a visual interpreter that can help them navigate the museum, can describe things that are happening in the museum, whether that's displays and interactives, or if they're taking part in a workshop," said Rhinewald.
Each interpreter, according to the app's website "undergo an intensive hiring and training process to ensure safe, reliable service of the highest quality." Meaning that even with the Strong's varied and at times very visual displays, the person on the other end of the phone will be able to communicate what's happening around you fully.
The app even has AI capabilities that can also provide a quick AI-generated description of what's in front of you if you don't want to wait for an agent.
"So somebody's just looking for sort of a quick approximation of what might be in front of them, what's happening in this space, and it will deliver those AI-generated results immediately back to them," said Rhinewald.
For somewhere like the Strong National Museum of Play, where play is for everyone, having access to a service like this makes that statement ring that much truer.
"Play is something that is universal, it's important for everyone, and it's our goal here to make sure that this museum and the benefits of play are as accessible to everyone that walks through the door as possible. So, this is one way to help our guests that are blind or that have low vision be able to interact more fully with the museum," said Rhinewald.
Use of the app is not just available for free at the Strong National Museum of Play either. Stores like Wegmans, Starbucks, Target, and even Bank of America offer free access to this service all across Rochester and beyond with just an account, and no subscription required.