A new service is helping passengers who are blind or have low vision gain a greater sense of their surroundings at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.
A service called Aira launched in the airport terminal featuring a live demonstration of how the technology works to best support travellers who are blind or have low vision. Through a mobile app or smart glasses, Aira connects users to trained live agents, who can see a user’s environment through their mobile camera. This allows agents to describe objects, read signage, provide navigation, take and label photos, and more to give passengers real-time visual information throughout each step of the travelling process. Winnipeg Richardson International Airport is the second airport in Canada to make Aira available.
“It’s always been our goal that every traveller coming through the facilities here is able to anticipate an excellent experience,” shared Barry Rempel, President and CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority. “Bringing this new technology to the airport increases accessibility and reduces barriers for all of our travellers, especially those that sometimes experience travel in ways that we do not. We are now able to reduce barriers to travel and sometimes that experience means we get to share our love of travel with more and more people.”
Aira has been introduced as an additional layer of support for travellers who are blind or low vision to use to ensure all travellers can enjoy an exceptional experience at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.
To learn more about Aira, go to www.waa.ca
