Train the Trainer A Practical Guide for Demonstrating Ray Ban Meta Glasses to Individuals Who Are B

Hello friends, welcome on in. And I call you friend because guess what? I also serve in the military. And so I would love if you will put the branch of service that you are in or that you or maybe a family member served it served as a part of. So let us know in the chat. This also lets me know that the chat is working. So I would greatly appreciate if you would do that for me. Okay. And let's see. And I can call your names out too as you're coming in. Let's see. Everything is running slow. So if your technology is running slow, it's okay if it's gonna come through slow. But I see we have a lot of team members here. Here we go. They're coming in. What do we have here? Hello. Thank you so much. Air Force. I'm with Space Force. Woohoo. Army. Ace. Sabbath Foundation. Awesome. Air Force. Marines. Hya. Yes. Army. Yes. Army. Army. Where is the N? There we go. Navy chief. That's what's up. Navy front. Yes, sir. Thank you so much for your service, everybody. Thank you so much. I'm gonna turn this over to my colleague Connor. He's going to take us further. Chaplain. We love you. We love you. We love you. Connor, over to you because I'm getting excited for all my military folks. Have a great webinar, everybody. >> Thank you, Artha. Hi, everyone and welcome. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Connor Mhern from Tech Soup and I'm looking forward to this session. We've got a really useful hands-on webinar lined up entitled Train the Trainer, a practical guide for demonstrating Rayban Meta AI glasses to individuals who are blind. Many of you who have already applied perhaps for this program. Many of you have already perhaps received a shipment of Rayban Meta AI glasses and are planning to distribute those to blinded veterans in your community. And so today, our presenters, Leah and Dominique from the Blinded Veterans Association will walk us through how to actually use these smart glasses and more importantly, how to demonstrate their accessibility features to veterans who are blind or severely vision impaired. We also have our friends from Meta on with us to help answer questions towards the end of our presentation. You'll be learning skills that you can bring straight back to the veterans you support. Reminder too that you will also need to distribute support and warranty information to recipients. You'll have that receive that information or will receive that information uh ahead of your shipment of devices. If you have any questions about this donation program, please review the materials on our website. That's at page.teexup.org/metonation oneword. I'll pop these links in chat in just a moment. And if you still have questions having reviewed that page, please always feel free to follow up via email at metarayban u sorry metaray-ban techup.org. Again, I'll pop these links and email address into the chat in just a moment. And with that, I'll hand it over to our presenters from the Blinded Veterans Association. Take it away, Leah and Dominique. >> Fantastic. So, I wanted to take a second to introduce you to the Blinded Veterans Association. Why Miss Artha pulls our slides up on the the screen. Uh BVA was founded back in 1945 by a group of blinded veterans who came back from World War II with the loss of their sight and wanted to figure out a way that they could be able to acclimate back to society. And that is where the BBA started. We are blinded veterans helping blinded veterans. We became nationally um congressionally chartered in 1954 and we are still going strong now. 81 years later. Uh my name is Leo Row. I'm the national executive director. And Miss Dominique, if you'd like to introduce yourself. Hi everybody. It is so great to be here with you today. My name is Dominique Lawless and I am the national program director for the Blinded Veterans Association. I am also blind and have worked in the field of blindness rehabilitation for the last 15 years. And so I get to bring both my lived and professional experience to this wonderful organization. >> Fantastic. Miss Artha, can you get those slides on the screen? Would be great. We'll get this thing started. >> Yes, ma'am. I'm trying to get technology to cooperate with us, but in the meantime, we do have friends from Meta here. They would like to introduce theirelves. >> Hello, my name is Beth Murray and I work on the product impact team here at Meta. So, we think about how do we make sure that our technology is useful and valuable for the world. side. I'm very lucky to get to work with organizations like the BVA to think about how um can we better serve both the veterans and the blind community um and then take that information back to our products to make it even better next time. Um I'll pass over to my colleague Sophia um to talk through herself and the role she plays here at Meta. >> Yeah, thanks so much. Um, hi everyone. My name is Sophia and I am a UX researcher at Meta, which means my job is to understand our users experience with our products and bring back recommendations to our product teams. Um, some part of the team working on meta glasses and I'm also visually impaired myself. Um, so yeah, excited to be here. Connor, while we're waiting on slides, could you tell us a little bit about how the program's going from Tech Soup's perspective? Um, anything interesting that you're seeing about the kinds of organizations that have come through? And maybe Leah, you could tell us a little bit about the kinds of organizations you're meeting at your events. Connor, I I hate to sound too 2019, but I'm afraid you are on mute. >> I am on mute. I'm no longer on mute. Uh we've had a great interest in this program. Probably about 250 or so organizations from the tech soup universe have uh applied for uh some metarban AI glasses. Um really seeing a whole plethora of different organizations as you can imagine and our orgs on the on the webinar themselves know organizations work in a lot of different capacities. And so there are organizations that very much directly work with blinded individuals. There are organizations that work directly with veteran and and but what we're also seeing is that there are organizations that come across that that population as part of their regular programming. And so very interesting we seeing applications for donations from those two and and happy to get devices out to them all. >> You guys are doing so great. I may have to restart my computer. Welcome to Zoom everybody >> and [clears throat] Leah and and maybe Connor if you aren't able to share maybe I can take a look and see if that's possible for me but Leah do you want to tell uh is that while we all see to see if we can share the slides Leah how's it going with the distribution events that you've been running >> no absolutely I was pulling the slides up and I just messaged Jita that I could be able to share my screen as well uh the distribution events have actually been fantastic across the United States what we've been able to do so far. We've seen a high interest in our low vision and blinded veterans just seeking the support of the device. Uh I do want to take a moment and just say that this particular uh device does not enhance usable vision. It gives visual context to somebody who is unable to see that information. And she has it up. Yay. Fantastic. Um, and the stories that we're hearing from our veterans are just enthusiasm across the board. And when I talk about enthusiasm, I'm talking about we were sitting with with a gentleman who was I want to say he was an army veteran. He lost his eyesight later in life. He was an engineer, a professor at a university, a farmer, a still active farmer. Um his wife was just absolutely petrified. He had uh pinnal vision uh pinpoint vision. So he had a very small visual field and um she was just terrified. He's climbing a 24 ft ladder with a chainsaw, cutting down beehives and actively working on tractors and when something happened, he would have to immediately stop what he was doing, find his wife, go back into what they were trying to do. and the possibility that the glasses could be able to give that kind of visual input to him to be able to enhance what um enhance his independence and in that environment of working was truly empowering for him. And what even furthers that out for those in the blind uh rehabilitation field that opened the door for him to not rely as much on his usable vision and open the door to those true rehabilitation skills. and he actually signed up this past week to start O andM lessons. So for us that's exciting because the fear of losing your sight is so detriment to a lot of different individuals especially later in life. That's the number one fear of Americans is losing their eyesight. Um, and so overcoming that fear and taking that step forward is where we really are seeing an impact with the glasses and that the glasses are kind of opening that door and seeing, oh, this is what rehabilitation can do for me. Oh, this is where I need to learn additional assisted technology skills. This is where I need to reach out and work on orientation mobility or independent living skills. It's it's opening that door um for the veterans to really explore that that they might not been aware of. Dominique, is there anything you want to add to that before we kick it off? >> You covered it wonderfully. Um the only other thing I I would add is, you know, the glasses are such a wonderful tool in your toolbox. Um and being able to show and work with our veterans who just might not know what they don't know yet about blindness because a lot of them we're finding aren't connected to the services that they're entitled to. um or you know they might be the only blind person in their community. So getting able to work with uh Leah and I and Meta staff on this we're being able to have those conversations and the meta glasses are kind of a gateway to um not only the independence they can have using the glasses but what else is out there and it's been a wonderful opportunity. Fantastic. Nicely said Dominique. So I wanted to kick off our our PowerPoint slides. Um, and we really want to encompass this as empowering our veterans through assisted technology. Um, this is not a cure. This is not replace any foundation skills. This is all about empowerment and what this is able to add, like Dominique said for the tools for the toolbox. And you will hear us say this many times throughout um, this presentation because we really want to hone in that this is a great tool, but it does not replace your foundation skills. This guide is to help you with the language, techniques, tools to build trust and competence when introducing Meta AI glasses to veterans to the new wearable AI software. And Retha, if you'll go to the next slide for me, please. So, understanding this community, some of you um are work with veterans all the time. And then there's also a new population of organizations out there who do not have the rapport with the veterans. We want to help you build that rapport. So many of our veterans are very new to wearable AI software. Um, and they often are highly motivated with missionoriented goals. I know this is something that we teach in rehabilitation is what is the goal you're trying to accomplish and really honing in on that goal and to be able to motivate them to move towards that goal. Um, but I want as you interact with the veterans to keep in mind to respect their experience. Um, when you have these conversations, it is very important to keep it person first or identity first language as requested by the individual. And also always treat the veteran as an expert in their own lives. This is just very important to keep that rapport building especially if this is an individual who is new to your organization and new to building trust in the field of rehabilitation as well as in the field of meta glasses. Um we want to be very very clear that um these glasses are a consumer product. They are not a medical device or a diagnostic device. Um, we just want to be very clear with that upfront. Um, that the glasses if they require prescriptions, they can take those to Lens Crafters, Walmart, anywhere that is a distributor of the Meta um, AI glasses. They can have their prescriptions based on the strength and the weight capacity of the frames can have them put in or if they need different tents put in those lenses, they can have them put in as well. The devices that are coming are Gen One meta uh wayfinders and they are either going to be sunglasses tents or they're going to be transitional lenses. And I want to emphasize again, I know you heard it with the previous slide, that this does not replace primary mobility tools such as a white cane or guide dog. And it is very important to set this expectation early and clearly when you're talking with the veteran. Additionally, before we move into actually talking about the device, it is very important to always get permission before touching the client or the veteran's hands or adjusting the glasses on their face. If you are new uh to blindness or low vision, that can be very disorienting and it also takes away the autonomy of the person who is receiving the training. So, please ask first before touching them or guiding their hand. They are usually very very open to that guidance but please seek permission first. Artha, will you go to the next slide please? >> Well and I think if if I might just interject here um is it's so important to do that not just on the blindness side but on you know not knowing the veteran's experience. Um I've been blind all of my life. um I might not react in a family-friendly way if someone were to touch me without permission. And so just having that consent is is so um important especially, you know, just to respect the lived experiences of blind people who may be grabbed and and yanked on a regular basis. So it's so important for that. >> Thank you for that addition, Dominique. So when we're talking about um empathy and instruction, there's three core principles that we really want to be able to provide. And Artha, there is an issue with the image on the screen. So we will make sure that we include this PowerPoint when we disseminate the recording as well, just as an FYI. So first thing is we want to talk about tactile um first. And what we mean by tactile first is we're talking about descriptions through touch when we're describing the device there. Um, so always ask for permission before guiding a client's hand to the device. Physical contact without consent can break trust. And we want to let the veteran explore the hardware at their own pace. And we want to use verbal description first, then offering guided touch only after asking. For example, when we have pull the meta glasses case out of the box, you will notice that it is a hard case that has a flap on the front that has a light that indicates on the front. Dominique is holding hers up right now. Um, as you flip that up, you will be able to notice that the glasses slide into the case with the lenses facing towards you. Those are the types of language that we would like to use. In addition, when you flip the devices to the bottom, you will see a charging or you can touch a USBC charging port. So these are all different touch points that you can be able to describe and um to the participant who is receiving the training. Letting them feel on explore will allow them to be able to recall that information once they be able to move on and they're at home with their particular device. Um the second thing is we want to emphasize nose pointing rule. And what we mean by that is there is camera lenses on the upper left and the upper right of the glasses. So, when we're asking them to focus on something that they're wanting additional feedback from, from either their camera or their video recording, we want to keep in mind to use their nose as kind of the viewfinder that if they are looking, for example, for a gate at an airport and we they understand that maybe the gates are on the right side, they would turn their head and point their nose up so that they could be able to capture that information. Um, so keeping in mind that their nose is kind of like a laser pointer and that's to be able to help orient the camera within that space. And Dominique, do you want to take that last core principle for absolute orientation? Absolutely. Um, so when we talk about absolute orientation, you know, we want to give people the space to explore and build that muscle memory for the device, but we also want to make sure that we are using uniform terminology, so we're consistently referring to the parts at by the same name instead of by different. Um, and so what I think about this, and we'll see this in future slides, is if I'm going to show someone the glasses, you know, we're going to show them that on the right arm there's a touch panel. um you know that'll control the volume, that'll control um answering and declining calls. And then on the inside there is the power onoff switch on the inside left arm. And it's important to give people the opportunity to explore that because um you may be working with people who have neuropathy issues um from something like diabetic retinopathy or from another condition where they may not be able to feel it as easily and they're going to need to be able to turn the device on and off without you being there. So giving them the space to practice that to find a way that works for them. Um but making sure that we're using consistent terminology. Um if you have met blind one blind person or one visually impaired person, you have met exactly one blind person or one visually impaired person. And just knowing that we all come from different uh backgrounds and walks of life and technical abilities. You may have some folks like me and like Sophia who um you know we're button pushers. you know, we're going to figure out how to use the device and u make it work for us and may need minimal guidance and there are going to be some who are a little bit newer to technology or newer to assistive technology that could benefit from more hands-on guidance. So making sure that you have just the consistency in your terminology that you're giving people the space to explore and find ways that work for them and build that muscle memory and um and also you know giving them the opportunity to problem solve is is monumental. And to build upon that before we go to the next slide is very important that you use descriptive terminology on the right side, left side, bottom, top. Um, those are going to be references so they can be able to orient within the device that they're trying to explore. Um, it's just like if I said, "Hey, Dominique, I want to meet you over there." There's no context to what over there is. We need to provide concise direction. It means nothing. I mean, where over there? Um, so we need to be very consistent and provide um specific >> references when we're talking about this. Um, Artha, will you go to the next slide, please? All right, Miss Dominique, I will let you take away the physical layout and setup and the tactile sweep. >> Excellent. Um, so with this, like I said, I grabbed the wrong pair of glasses. Uh, you know, with our meta glasses, I usually start by having people explore the case, take the glasses out of the case, and so they know that once they they take those glasses out of the case, the lenses are going to be facing them and the arms are going to be facing away from them. So, if we turn the glasses and feel on the left arm, on the inside is going to be that power onoff button. And it feels like a button, but it's really more of a switch. And so, you can use your finger to turn it off or on. Um, if you turn it towards your nose or switch it towards your no I got that all wrong. If you switch it towards your ear, it powers off. If you switch it towards your nose, it powers it on. And so, some people might be able to do it with their finger. Some people might need a fingernail to um to be able to feel it and and power that. Uh we have the lenses at the front. And then on the top right corner of the glasses, we have the camera. And one of the things I like to remind people is if they're recording, then that does light up. So that way others around them can be aware that they're in a recording situation. On the top right arm, we have the capture button. Um and this will allow you to take pictures or video. Um, and we also let people know that if you just press it once, it's going to take a picture. If you press and hold it for a second or two, it's going to take a video, but you can also speak those commands aloud to Meta. And then we review the uh the right arm of the glasses, which is um a touchcreen. So, you can if you swipe towards your ear, that increases the volume. If you swipe towards your nose, that lowers the volume. If you press once, then that is going to start or stop your audio. And if you press twice, doing kind of like a quick that's going to start or stop a phone call. Um, so that is just the layout, giving people the opportunity to really build that muscle memory of identifying the parts of the glasses and getting comfortable with them. Um, and yeah, it also acts as um, one thing that I like to tell people as well is the case also charges the glasses. Uh, but you will need to charge the case. Um, and just having a USBC cable or a USBC battery pack will take care of that. >> So, I would recommend um just a couple of things for lessons learned. Um, particularly when I'm working with our seniors when they are wanting to turn their volume up or down. They do long slow sweeps. That is not going to register. They need to be quick swipes. So, that is something just from a lessons learned. As well as bringing extra USB C cords to your event is very handy. Um, having them kind of charged and ready to go will help expedite the process as you're training individuals or having, like Dominique had mentioned, a battery pack at the table will be able to help with that process. the ch uh the boxes that you receive will usually have about 30 to 40% already on the device, but some of them might be dead because of the longevity that they might have been in the warehouse. So, just planning ahead could help ease some of that anxiety at events. Additionally, making sure that you have your Wi-Fi and your Wi-Fi passwords readily available is very beneficial as well because that will be able to help not only the veteran as they're trying to set up their device, but they'll be able to help the trainer during that event as well. Go ahead, Miss Dominique. >> One thing to note related to volume, um, some folks have had more experience giving verbal commands. So, hey Meta, raise volume to 50%. Hey, Meta, what's my volume level? and being able to adjust from there. And also depending on your environment, it's important to remember that these are bone conducting headphones. So nothing is going straight into your ear. So when we're in a situation where there might be a lot of extraneous noise around us, other people being trained, people getting registered, it could be very hard for them to hear. So, um, I make sure to tell people to make sure your volume is at a moderate level and then put your hands over the arms of the glasses because that will make the sound louder as it as the sound transmits into the bones around your ears. >> Great point, Dominique. I really appreciate that, Miss Artha. Will you go to the next slide, please? All right. App pairing and connectivity verification, Miss Dominique. >> All right. So, it is important to make sure that for full functionality, the veteran has an iPhone or an Android smartphone. Um, if they do not have one, these are a wonderful pair of sunglasses and unfortunately can't be used for anything more than that. One thing that we have found um in lessons learned is some of the government assistance smartphones uh have a multi-device management software on them that prohibits the Meta AI app being downloaded. Um, so it's important to kind of check on that as well. But one of the things that we do is uh help the veteran if they need it pair the Meta AI app and the glasses together. Um, we do send out uh just kind of a request. Could you please download the, you know, the app before you get here and set up a Meta account? Uh, because they also have to have a some sort of meta account or be able to register through their email in order to use the app as well. So, if the veteran is able, then they will download it, create their account, and sometimes they need a little bit of assistance. So, it's important to remember that if they're using a screen reader, um, and you need to turn that off to get their permission or have them turn it off and then to make sure to turn it on for them, uh, before they go, I have the opposite problem. I'm a screen reader user, so I have to remember to turn the screen reader off if someone's not a screen reader user. Um, and so just making sure that you return their phone to them in the exact accessibility condition that you receive it. But once uh the glasses are paired, uh, we or when we are ready for the glasses to be paired, we are going to press the button on the back of this device until the button on the front turns blue. Um, and then the fereral glasses to the app. And then that's when we start walking people through the uh the tutorial of how to use the glasses. Um, [clears throat] Dominique. >> Yes, ma'am. >> I do want to add just for situational awareness and lessons learned that I know sometimes it would be exciting to take all of the devices out of the boxes and have them on the table ready to go. Um, lesson learned from that. Uh, we do not recommend that. We recommend that you have the device with the box because if you have more than one person in a room connecting phones, there is a chance that you will connect one device to the wrong pair of glasses or vice versa. So, um it is very important to reference the model number that is on the box when you pair those devices. So, keeping that all together and making sure that you are actually pairing the device that is in front of you is imperative as you move forward in this process. I'll pass that back to you, Dominique. >> Yeah. No, I think that that is great. Um, and so I'm always a proponent of double-checking that serial number on the box and making sure the right box is associated with the right pair of glasses. So, keeping it in the box definitely saves saves us all from a little bit of extra hassle. Once you have those glasses paired, it's important that we test it to make sure that the AI is connected because sometimes the U meta AI feature of the glasses is disabled or we need to go back in and repair for some reason. So, whenever it says that it's ready to pair, I have the veteran put on the glasses and ask something like, "What's my battery level?" or "What's the tallest building in the world?" And so it's important that uh we get that timing right when they're asking that question as well because one, we want to make sure that the AI is functioning correctly, but also we want to make sure that they're are doing uh the prompting correctly as well. So we're going to say, "Hey, Meta." And then we're going to listen for a little water drop sound. Um and once we hear that, we can ask, "What's the tallest building in the world?" or "What's my volume level? What's my battery level?" Something like that. We had a really cool experience in St. Louis where the the St. Louis arch was right outside our meeting room window. So we could take people over there and say, "Hey Meadow, look describe what's in front of me and it was able to describe the arch." And then we were able to ask more descriptive questions, but also get some non-blindness related information about when the arch was built, what river uh backs up to the arch, different things like that. So having some of uh some ways to get some of that descriptive information is a great test feature as well. And to be able to build upon that, it's important that you wait about 3 seconds after you hear that chime. So you say, "Hey, meta." You'll hear a chime and then do the prompt. Sometimes individuals get very excited and they're like, "Hey, Meta D." And they'll start asking their questions. You have to give it a second to wake up. That's when you're waking the AI up, not when it's in consistent live AI mode. So, when we're talking about onboarding and connecting, we're talking about just the waking of the device, not live AI, because I know that that will come in later. And then also, if they hear silence or there's an error in the tone, you can clear um the signal by checking the settings and then you can be able to proceed as normal. Dominique, is there anything else you wanted to add to that? >> Yeah. No, I think we just about covered it. >> Perfect. Artha, will you go to the next slide, please? Perfect. So, we're talking about the voice interference and the golden rule. And this is going to build upon what we had just talked about. So, the voice user interface or the uh VUI is the primary interaction method that you have with the device and the training. It is important that you pause as you teach. So, you need to have them speak confidently. Hey meta, pause. Wait for the water drop chime. And this is the green light to be able to keep moving forward with the conversation. So, hey Meta, you hear the chime and then speak the command that you're wanting Meta to do. Hey Meta, what is my battery? Hey Meta, uh, what temperature is it outside? Whatever you're wanting to ask, it's important to pause there. Um, and practicing that a few times is very important, especially if you have somebody with a thick accent or um, I'm from the south. uh micasians are are sometimes harder when they're saying meta. Um so helping them pronunciate and saying it confidently is um the kind of the green light to start moving forward and to help practice that is going to also help the AI learn their their kind of speak language as well. If a veteran um keeps getting photos instead of videos, they're likely skipping that chime. So, um, we could simply say, "I've noticed that you're speaking quickly. Let's try waiting and let's try again." And just doing that positive reinforcement. A lot of times, I know that I've done this. Dominique's had a just gently put her hand on my arm to just slow down. And um when we're working particularly with our older population, we need to go at their pace and allow their that them the time to process the information, exercise, and repeat because that's going to help build their confidence as they be able to move forward. Miss Artha, the next slide, please. Miss Dominique, this is the practical mission scenarios. All right. So, some of the things that um we have them practice are just general case use scenarios for how to use the glasses. So, hey Meta, read this or hey Meta, what is this in my hand? One of my favorites is, "Hey Meta, look and describe what's around me." Um, you can, one thing that I like too is once it gives you that detailed response or that general response, whatever you prefer, if you within a few seconds, you can also ask follow-up questions to get more detailed responses or to get additional information. One thing that I tell people is the glasses will initially summarize for you, but it is possible to ask more problemsolving questions to get information. But this is a great way to start just by saying, you know, hey Meta, look and describe what's in my hand. Hey Meta, read this. Um, you can also connect your Meta Glasses to services like Be My Eyes and IRA, which are visual interpretation services. So an IRA agent or Be My Eyes volunteer can look through your glasses on a call and give you descriptive information about the things around you. So, I've used this for cooking instructions if it's something that's not being captured very well by the glasses. Um, I've you use it for makeup checks sometimes um to make sure that the things that I have match um or just, you know, other visual information. Um, but this is something that is is possible to you can do this through your phone or through your glasses. Um, it's also great for that spatial awareness. Hey, Meta, look and tell me what you see. If I'm going to give a presentation in a room, I want to know what that room looks like before I get in. Is it stadium seating? Is it conference tables? Things like that. Where's the podium? Um, is there a trash can? Different things like that. And I can do this all by exploring. But having that additional information is really helpful before I go up to the stage to present. Um, and then during a live be my eyes call or IRA, like we mentioned, you can go back and forth between your phone and your camera by using the capture button to toggle. So, there's so many different use case scenarios for this. Um, I was talking to a friend this morning that just got her pair of glasses and there was a parked car impeding her trash can this morning. So, she was able to get the make, model, and license plate of that car to find out whose vehicle it was so they could get out of her parking spot and she could take her trash out. So, I mean, there's so many you name it. I tell people, you can't break it by asking questions. Um, if it can't do something, it'll tell you, but you can't break it by asking questions. >> And and just to build upon that, you know, as we're exploring these different features, you're going to have to help the the the mental process of problem solving. So, for example, yes, Meta, can you read this menu for me? And what Meta will do is it will give you an overall review. No, you could say, "Hey, Meta, stop. Could you read me the hamburgers on the menu?" And then it will scan and then give you the exact descriptions of the burgers. But then you might want to go, okay, you know, hey Meta, what are the prices on the Swiss mushroom burger? And to be able to get that information. But having to problem solve and dive deeper is something that does not come very naturally. Um, so that is a little bit of coaching that you will have to do and the more that they learn, the more they explore, the more intuitive it will become, but it is something that you have to help kind of guide in the beginning processes. Anything you want to add on that, Miss Dominique? >> Uh, no. I think you, you know, you handled, you explained it well. I, you know, just reminding that everybody's different and some folks might need a little bit more assistance than others, but these are some great, uh, use case practice scenarios. >> Perfect. Missita, can you go to the next slide, please? All right. This is privacy troubleshooting and exit. Miss Dominique. All right. So, as I mentioned before, one of the things that I like to tell people is when you see that illuminated light on the front of the glasses, that means you are recording. And just as a courtesy to other people, things like that, that is why you have that feature. just to um you know make sure that the veteran knows that if they are taking a photo or a video that will illuminate. Um one thing to think about is when you pair the app it asks if you want to share extra data with Meta to help um you know to help Meta AI learn and I always give veterans the option of that. It does not hurt how you use the glasses or affect how you use the glasses in any way but you do have the ability to send data through to Meta so Meta can learn and approve on the glasses. And so I try to make sure that uh everyone that I'm helping pair the glasses has that full knowledge and can make an informed decision about it. And then I also, you know, remind people that there may be some places you don't want to take the glasses. Um you might not want to have them with you in a doctor's office or if you walk into the restroom, different things like that. So um there's always the option of putting them in the case or of toggling off that power switch. Sometimes it's a little easier just to reach up and, you know, swipe that switch back towards my ear and turn the glasses off than it is to take them off and put them in the in in the case. So, um, those are some things to think about as well. There are some times where the glasses aren't working to the best of their ability because technology is technology and it works until it doesn't. Um, and so there are some troubleshooting tips that we can use to u make that work a little bit better. So, um, if you're experiencing a system freeze where it keeps saying the same thing over and over again or it just isn't responding to you, you can fold the right temple closed, wait 3 seconds, and reopen it to reboot. This works for me all the time. Um, if for some reason you need to voice override, you can press and hold that capture button on the top right for 3 seconds to manually trigger the voice loop. And then, um, just a, you know, as a reminder for ongoing support that there will be monthly help desk question and answer sessions hosted by the Blind Veterans Association as well as Tech Soup to help answer any of these ongoing questions. >> Fantastic. And so with the in addition to that with the help desk I do want to let you know that on the BVA website at bva.org org underneath programs underneath resources. Meta and BVA has partnered. We have a complete training guide on that website as well with common commands tactile references and a step-by-step guide to be able to help either if you wanted to provide a copy to the people that you are training or if you just want to review that information as well. Um those are all resources. They're completely free of charge out there for your consumption. And in addition to that, um, we will be hosting the webinars with Tech Soup, but then we also will have additional webinars on the BVA's calendar. And also cuz we are trying to make this as simple as possible for such a big project. Um Dominique has been gracious enough and volunteer [laughter] stages because again when you are trying to find the answer to one small question going through a 30inut video can be very um overwhelming and we want to be able to have it in bite-siz uh bite-sized components. So that will be another reference as well. And before we go to the next slide, please I know you're going to hear me say this and please do not groan. Uh that these glasses are a tool, a tool in the tool belt. They do not substitute or replace rehabilitation white canes or guide dogs. All right, Miss Artha, can you go to the next slide, please? Fantastic. So this slide we have is just as a quick reference guide if it would be beneficial for you to have at different events. This is um really good for use cases. For example, hey meta, wait for the chime, speak the command. Also, hey meta, take a photo. Hey Meta, start recording. Stop to get information. Hey Meta, read what's in my hand. Can you describe what's in my hand? Um, now we sometimes will go through the process of setting up Be My Eyes. Again, that will be based on the organization and the time constraints you have at your distribution event. Some of our events, we have the basic setup and then we have our rehabilitation team setting up Be My Eyes. If it's a slower event, we will spend the additional time getting it set up. That is completely up to you as a partner agency and how you would like to do that at your own event. But we also sometimes will do hey meta call a volunteer with be my eyes and making sure that that app is connected with the meta AI app. Additional physical uh shortcuts to have as a reference is to press the button once on the upper right arm to take a photo. Press and hold to be able to start and then press and hold to stop. In order to play, you're going to tap the right touch pad once. And then to increase the volume, you're going to slide quickly forward or slide back to turn down. And the inside on the left arm is that power on and off switch. I did see a question pop up that that there is not a touch pad on the glasses. There is not a tactile reference on the glasses themselves. It is on the right arm between the Ray-B band logo towards the nose area and before you get to the hook on the back of the glasses. It's just a smooth surface. And that's why we really take the time to practice with the veteran on those quick motions being in the middle of that Ray-B band sign and the fold on the back. There's not really a a touch point for that. Um it's a a very motion memory kind of component. And then charging confirmation. Um this is just reminding the veteran that when they're sliding their glasses back into the case to always face the lenses towards the front where the button is located and that you will hear a snap when you slide it in. that what that is able to do is to be able to make sure that the nose charger and the charging case itself has made the connection point to be able to charge. >> We call that the magnetic click. So, you want to sink into the housing of the case and you're going to kind of feel that little click and that's the glasses cannot go in any other way. Um, and so just being able to feel that click and have the lenses facing you is uh the steps that you need to follow to make sure that the glasses are in and then the case can charge them. Perfect, Miss Artha. Awesome. [laughter] So this is our trainers cheat sheet that is not coming through but again this is one of those reference uh slides to be able to have at the table to be able to have for your trainers just as a quick reference. Um we again are talking about that language and etiquette. Ask before acting or touching using absolute orientation. Um using either clock face reference, right, left and then also making sure that you're using first person or identity first language. Uh, second is that golden rule. We'll say it again to reinforce. Hey, meta. Wait for that chime and then give the command stop and reset. This is a privacy um off, which is the switch on the upper left side of the glasses. And to reboot, you're going to fold the arm in, wait 3 seconds to provide the override. And then again, there is support and um validation. And if a veteran feels frustrated, just take a moment to validate their experience. Um, we all get overwhelmed. I know sometimes when we're trying to get Zoom to work appropriately, we, you know, we feel that frustration. So, just to take the time, um, to validate their experience and that they're learning a new tool and that sometimes just to take a deep breath and let's try it again. Um, and then you can always refer them back to the blinded veterans um or bva.org or website or reach back out to Tech Soup help desk for additional sessions to be able to provide additional support. Miss Artha, perfect. So, I know that that's a lot of information. Um, I do want to provide some reassurance that when you are downloaded the app and you are starting the pairing, Meta has done a fantastic job in guiding you steps throughout the process. So, you do not have to have all of this ready to go. It will prompt you through as you move forward with the pairing and it's providing that information and guidance to the veteran that you have training. These are just additional tools and resources to be able to help guide you in that process. Dominique, do you have anything you'd like to add before we move on to question and answers? >> I think that we have covered it and um you know, just knowing that we're going to have these extra help desk and question and answer sessions, I think will help folks who are in all different stages of learning, all different stages of their vision loss. So, no, I think that just about covers it. >> Awesome. Well, we did have a question about um Yeah, that was great. Lots of hearts and emojis going up. Yes, keep those going up. That was really, really great. Um, a partner that's giving glasses away asked, "What if we can't give all of our glasses away?" It's a great question. >> That would be a Meta or Connor question. So, I will pass it over to them. I I'll I'll pause briefly for Metaith to jump in if they'd like to, but but I will say that, you know, we really stress try and figure out the number of devices that you can comfortably, you know, feel confident about distributing. There's always going to be some scenarios I think when um you have some leftovers. My recommendation uh and Meta do jump in if you have a differing opinion would be to consider giving multiple devices to to some um uh veterans that you've already provided them to. A second pair may come in handy later. >> Thanks so much, Connor. Yes, absolutely. Um first of all, please be be thoughtful about the number that you are requesting. We are seeing high numbers of of requests. So let's make sure that you have a really good idea of of how many you need in order to get to the people that you serve. And then secondly, absolutely um these are a consumer device and that means that the battery length can go down quickly particularly for blind and low vision users who are power users and are using the glasses for a significant amount of time. So, we would encourage you to give multiple pairs to people that you've already donated to and are seeing value in. >> The other thing that I would like to add to that, um, reach out to your local partner agencies that might be serving blind, low vision veterans. Um, that's just my opinion before giving a second pair. Um, just because we want to make sure that we're providing this tool uh, for the intented um, agreement. Um, for example, we're going to be in Tyler, Texas coming up on Thursday this week. We brought in several veteran serving organizations to really pull that resource together to be able to get the biggest impact possible and really working that network to make sure that we're getting it to as many people as possible. Cuz what we are discovering through this fantastic outreach event is there are so many veterans in our rural areas who are outside of the VA network who need to to get connected to those resources. Not only the resources of the glasses, but resources to your organizations that are providing this information and support network to the veterans. It's kind of bringing all of the pieces together and building that network up. Dominique, >> if it's the case where you decide to issue more than one device, my suggestion is that you assist the veteran in naming each pair of glasses. So, it could be Wayfair 1 or Wayfair 2 or like I helped a gentleman who got a pair for work but was a veteran so you know he wanted a personal pair that he could use at home and so that we, you know, we listed that as Joe's home glasses. Um, so making sure that it's something that is easily identifiable because that's easier than keeping up with the last four of a serial number. >> Great feedback. >> Um, just a friendly reminder because there's several questions in the chat about is this being recorded? Yes, we will send the recording out to you along with the slides. I know a couple said you had trouble seeing the slides. We'll send the slides out to you. Um, question from Priority Access Service says they're serving the homeless population. they would would can they distribute the glasses to individuals that are homeless? >> The intent of the program is for blind low vision veterans. Um that is the main scope. We understand that that is a a population that desperately needs to be served. But at this time and under the current restraints of the program, it is for blind low vision veterans. Um now if they are blind low vision veteran who is homeless, they would absolutely fall into that. But at this time it is blind low vision veterans. >> Shane asks, "Do we need a pair to demonstrate with or do we need to de distribute them all?" >> My recommendation is to distribute them all just because that's kind of the intent of the program. Um, I understand and acknowledge that sometimes having a demo pair available to practice and hone your skills is beneficial. Um, but I will leave that up to our meta contacts and what guidance they would like to provide on that. >> Um, you know, Leah, you're you're absolutely right in that you've mentioned that things are going to be personal as you as you do it. It may be that you yourself need to take a pair in order to become really confident in doing some of these demonstrations in order to make sure that when you're going and showcasing the glasses to um people at events or at your centers or in your facilities um you need to have a pair which you have set up yourself. We are very comfortable with that of course you know it's we want to make sure that you feel comfortable in showcasing the technology. So very comfortable with that. But as Leah says, the real focus is getting these out to our blind and low vision veterans. >> So that that's the only reason why I reference having a demo pair. Um because again, we understand the trainers need to have that skill set. I do want to remind you that if you do have a pair of meta glasses and you are providing a training, I would recommend turning your own pair off because as people around you are saying, "Hey, Meta," you will start having it chime in your own ears. So, just as a reference point to turn that off, Miss Artha, is there any other questions? >> Yes. Robert asks, "What documentation do we need to verify the eligibility and do we need to keep those documentations? Beth, are you wanting your input or you would you like what we are doing on the BVA side? >> We'll we'll hand it over to our experts at the BVA, please, Leah. [gasps] >> So, from BVA standpoint for um the original intent was to be able to follow the um BRS guidelines that are on the va.org website. that is for the requirements for blindness and low vision and TBI does fall underneath that because of the disruptions disturbances in visual uh fields and acuitities that take place through head trauma. So that's kind of your guidance. Um but it is up to the individual organization to determine the um qualifications and the eligibility to be able to follow throughout that process. um from BBA standpoint, we verify that they are a veteran and then that could either be through their um DD214 forms or their veteran ID is a great way to be able to have that information available and then um we check for um through their usually their VIS coordinator is who we coordinate with to be able to verify um their visual impairment. You can have a prescription, you can have any of that. I would recommend not taking it. You are visually confirming that they meet the requirements and that they get a pair of glasses and that you are recording um the number of devices distributed as well as it's helpful if we know the branch of service just so that we're able to have that information to share back with Meta. So from a nonprofit standpoint, the collaboration that we're having with Meta, the more data that is not connected to an individual person that we can share back to them is only going to be able to help Meta's marketing at the end of this project. How many people were we able to serve? What are the branches of service that we saw the biggest trend in? Um having that information to give back to them and then where they're from. like we gave out all 200 pairs if that was your organization and they all lived in the state of Georgia. That is all great information that Meta can be able to use in their marketing um and outreach opportunities moving forward. So that's for information sharing, but for internal purposes, you need to do what'sever in the guidance of your state's 501c3 and making sure that you're keeping the records that are required for your state. I hope that answered that question. >> Artha, do we have any technical questions um that have come through? >> Yes. Um well, one >> Sophia may be able to help us with with anything. >> One that keeps popping up. People want to know about needing more. I need more glasses. I need more glasses. And I see somebody put in the chat, but for the recording, if if we can have somebody say where would they get more glasses from? >> You you can the email I've been popping up in chat and responding directly that Tech Soup email. follow up with us if you've already distributed your allotment. We'll help you out there. >> Okay. Um, and Kim said, "How do we verify that a veteran's only receiving one pair of glasses with multiple distribution points?" >> I'm Can I answer that one, Leah? You can't. This is like we're building something built here on trust. We're building something to serve those who've served us. and you're you you could you can't you can ask the question uh but you have to work with your populations in the way that works best for you. >> So I will say from BBA standpoint when we do our partner distribution events um a majority of our events that we are doing out in the public is that we are partnering with local facilities or local organizations because we want to get those veterans tied into local resources since we are a national organization. So at that point, we have an agreement to share information back and forth between that agency and BBA. So BVA has an internal database that we are logging who has received a pair of glasses, when they received it, where they received it from. And when we're out at distribution events, we are tag teaming that to be able to flag if they're receiving multiple devices, etc. But again, it does go back to trust and um putting that out there to know that there are going to be a few people that take advantage of it and know that our true intent is to help as many veterans as possible. >> Okay, go ahead, Ben. >> I I just really want to make sure that Sophia gets a chance to speak. Um, and so Sophia, is there anything that we haven't that as a power user of the glasses and as somebody who uses the glasses every day and has been instrumental in the development of them, is there anything that we haven't covered or that you really wish that people would go away knowing? >> Um, just a quick maybe note, you guys did an awesome job of covering everything. One of the things I was going to say that you mentioned is like the way you phrase your request to AI really matters. So like the menu example, you can say read only the headings and not the ingredients and then drill in and all of that like like what you say um really helps. The other thing is um the idea around like this doesn't replace a cane or a guide dog is super important. But what I would add to that is I know a lot of people from my research want to use it as like another aid for obstacles. Um I don't think the glasses are not great at things that are changing quickly or things that um require knowing where something is in relation to you. We're working on it, but our engineers have told me like AI does not understand distance. It does. It's It's kind of just beginning to understand the relationship between like you as the glasses wearers and whatever you're looking for is. So if you ask it like is there a car in front of me, it might be able to tell you if it sees it, but it's not great at knowing like where it is in relation to you. And similarly, things that change like is the light green? Um it has to send that image to the server and then the server needs to send the answer back. So, um, even if it is an accurate answer, uh, it's it's just something that, um, we tried to to, you know, preemptively block as many as these as we can just for safety. But, um, I know it's a very things that like sound very appealing because of the camera, but the tech does have its limits. Um, um, and then the other thing I will add is we do have a panel. um I can send a link if that would be helpful um for people to sign up if they want to be considered for future studies. So like I said, we do take user feedback into account. Um most of those will be with me, but there might be others with other researchers. So you can help us test new features and give us feedback and whoever wants to sign up for that um is more than welcome to. So >> may I add to what you said, Sophia? >> Oh, sorry. Go ahead. >> And may I add on to what you said? Oh, of course. >> So, my background is in teaching people how to travel using the white cane. Um, and everything you said was 100% spoton. So, you know, Meta might say that there's a trash can in front of you, >> but exactly like you said is that time and distance are very relevant and even though it's giving you that information, it's up to you on how you process that information. It's um how you interpret it and how you use your additional travel skills to find that trash can or to interpret the red light. I would strongly advise against people not using it to cross a street. >> Yes. Please don't do that. [laughter] >> Yes. Um and it that's where your other foundational skills come into play. Um, and that's why we are having these conversations with our veterans and seeing some of them sign up for extra services that are really going to benefit them in the long run in conjunction with their metabolas. >> So, thank you for that. >> I want to say there are some questions that we couldn't get to. What I'm going to do is put those questions in our engagement hub, which is the exact same link you use to register for this event. So, I'll put those questions there and then somebody from Meta or BVA will go in and answer those questions for you and you'll see them live in real time. Can I add one thing just a very very quick because I was running through the chat while Miss Sophia and Dominique were talking. If you are at an expo event or if you are an event with a large number of people, I highly disenourage you doing that. Um, we have done three and you are overwhelmed, extremely overwhelmed. It's very hard to hear. Now, if you are at an expo event and you're providing information and you have a space or a room outside of the hall or down the ways that you can be able to move the veterans into providing the dis uh for distributing the device and providing the training, fantastic. But if you are trying to do it in an expo hall, I will tell you it is a nightmare. We have lessons learned out the wazoo on that one. Um, more power to you if you can do it. I think that's fantastic. But just a lessons learned from our standpoint. >> Um, can I add one more quick thing that I just thought of? >> Is that >> Go for it. >> Um, yeah. The other thing is also like explore the features. Um, a lot of uh there's an accessibility feature you can turn on. Um, I I didn't hear this before. Um, under settings in accessibility settings, you can turn on something called detailed responses, which means that when AI describes something for you, it will be more detailed instead of like assuming like give you like, oh, this is a room, it'll instead tell you like this is a room with X, Y, and Z. Um, and so that that is something that I would highly recommend turning on. We are constantly improving it and it does give a lot more detail than the default. The default is meant for people who can see and don't necessarily want to know everything there. Um, and then there's also a lot of features that are not necessarily like blind specific that are really helpful um that like are just constantly coming out. There's like something where you can um have it summarize a conversation that you record. you have to like actively record it. It's not just recording something. So like yeah, just explore the features. It's it's kind of a lot in there that you can that you can use. >> Thank you, Sophia. I'm super aware that we're at time everybody. Connor Artha, >> uh very final thing. Techup will soon start to distribute a survey to all the organizations that are participating. Really really would appreciate uh you taking the time to respond to that uh once you've had some experience distributing devices. Thank you all for being here today. Just a friend of reminder, this has been recorded. A lot of people asked, we'll send out the recording later today or early tomorrow. And look forward to seeing you on our next webinar, which will be August 26th. And go back to this link in the engagement hub and you'll see the answers to your questions that weren't answered live. Thank you so much Meta and BBA for being here. Goodbye everybody. >> Thank you.