My Interview on The Brock Jackson Show
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Aira Three Million Minute Milestone Celebration – March Madness
Dear Friends & Family of Aira,
In celebration of our three million-minute milestone, we’re running a promotion where you can get three months of Aira absolutely free. This is an exclusive offer for new users, and Friends & Family of Aira (that’s you!). Sign up for the Intro Plan today, pay for the first month, and we’ll cover the cost of the next three consecutive months.
That’s $29 for four months of on-demand access to our certified agents.
To sign up using this promo, call our toll free number at 1-800-835-1934 and make sure you mention “March Madness”. But you better be quick, we’re only running this offer until March 31, 2019! This offer is only valid if you have a free Aira account and have never paid for a monthly plan before.
Keep on reading!Blind Americans Protest Refusal of Entertainment Industry to Cast Them
Baltimore, Maryland (March 12, 2019): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind Americans, issued the following statement today from its President, Mark Riccobono, regarding the portrayal of blind characters and specifically the forthcoming CW television series “In the Dark”:
“The entertainment industry has produced dozens of movies and TV shows portraying blind characters, usually offensively or inaccurately, and not even one of them has featured a blind actor in a recurring lead role. If blind people are included, they play supporting roles, and sometimes there is a single blind writer or consultant. If organizations like the National Federation of the Blind are consulted at all, the consultation occurs after production, and the producers seek validation rather than collaboration. The forthcoming midseason replacement series ‘In the Dark’ is no different. Its producers sought to justify their exclusion of a blind actor from the leading role in a session full of excuses at a recent conference.
Keep on reading!It’s Louis Braille Birthday Today!
HAPPY JANUARY 4th! Today represents the birth of one of the most amazing and monumental inventors in modern history. The invention of this individual single-handedly has made a positive difference in the lives of tens of millions of people around the world.
You are probably wondering, who is this guy talking about? I can’t think of anybody famous born this day. Whether you know who I’m talking about or not, today really is an important, life-changing day for many people.
Continue readingDo More Foundation
A Further Way Aira is beginning to work to address the issue of the cost of its service comes through the formation of a nonprofit organization called the Do More foundation. Recently I have been asked to accept the position of donor relations within the foundation to help it secure funding. Our initial effort will be to secure funds to help cities and other public facilities establish Aira access within their borders. It would be great, for example, if any blind person could go visit any city public building and travel independently to any office with Aira and not have to pay for the service because the service was subsidized by the city with the help of the Do More foundation. How about visiting public libraries? How about visiting city parks or even going to the county fair and having full access to Aira? These are all the immediate kinds of things we will be working to make happen with the help of the foundation. You can learn more about the foundation by visiting http://domore.io. Continue reading
Aira & Aira Access
Aira
I am saving the best new open window for last. In March 2015 I received an email from Larry Bock, a gentleman who said that he was representing a company called Aira tech Corp. As he explained it, Aira was a new company that had developed a unique and innovative product for blind people. The product consisted of smart glasses with a high resolution live streaming camera built into them, an app that would run on any smart phone and live agents around the country. Continue reading
We’re Back!
It has been a few years since I have corresponded with all of you through my newsletter from the Michael Hingson Group. There is a lot of truth to Alexander Graham Bell’s adage that “when a door closes a window opens”. Even when a door doesn’t close more than one window can open. The cross ventilation can stir up all sorts of challenges which one must address in one way or another. Let me take a moment to catch you up.
2014 my wife, Karen, became critically ill. We posted on Facebook about this and in one of my last newsletters we also discussed it. Karen recovered. At the urgings of our family we relocated from northern California to the Southland and rented an apartment in Victorville California. We never thought that we would be back so close to the areas where both of us grew up. However, sometimes things just happen, but usually for the right reasons. Continue reading
Exclusive Interview With Mike on “The Blind Side” With Chris Nusbaum
Michael and Roselle on Larry King Show
Fellow Federationists:
195 The Globe, the station which brought you the stream of the 2018 NFB national convention, is proud to bring you an exclusive interview with special guest Michael Hingson, well-known for his survival of the September Continue reading
Back To School Fundraiser Info
Help Me Assist Students Who Are Blind, Low Vision or Deaf-Blind
Hello! Back to school season is nearly upon us. For many, the phrase back to school conjures thoughts of new experiences, making new friends, buying new school supplies, and maybe even working with new technology. For thousands of students who are blind, low vision, or deaf-blind, and entering college, the phrase also conjures thoughts of navigating a new and exciting campus environment. To support these students we are launching a new campaign – the Back to School Fundraising Campaign – and we would love for you to be a part of it! Continue reading