TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Innovation of the Month

Innovation of the Month: Be My Eyes on Meta AI Glasses

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Be My Eyes has long been recognized for connecting people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers through live video assistance (check out a throwback of their InnovateAble pitch here).

Now, through its integration with Meta AI Glasses, the company has taken accessibility a step further by offering hands-free, AI-powered visual assistance that allows users to receive information about their surroundings without holding a phone.

The combination of Be My Eyes and Meta AI Glasses creates a natural, seamless experience for travelers navigating unfamiliar environments. Whether locating a hotel room, identifying a gate at the airport, reading a restaurant menu, or finding an accessible entrance, users can receive spoken descriptions and guidance while keeping their hands free for mobility aids, luggage, or other tasks.

By pairing wearable technology with artificial intelligence and live human support when needed, Be My Eyes is expanding opportunities for more independent travel and everyday experiences.

Be My Eyes and Meta Launch New Accessibility Functions on Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses - Be My Eyes

The Problem Be My Eyes on Meta AI Glasses Solves

For travelers who are blind or have low vision, many everyday tasks still require assistance. Reading signs, locating landmarks, identifying products, or understanding unfamiliar surroundings often means stopping to pull out a smartphone or asking someone nearby for help.

While traditional Be My Eyes video calls have provided valuable support for years, they require users to hold and position a phone throughout the conversation. That can be difficult when carrying luggage, using a white cane, guiding a service dog, or simply navigating a busy airport or attraction.

With Meta AI Glasses, the camera moves from the user’s hand to their line of sight. Users simply ask a question naturally, and the glasses can describe what is in front of them, identify objects, read text, or provide contextual information. If artificial intelligence cannot fully answer a question, users can still connect with a live Be My Eyes volunteer or participating customer service representative for additional assistance.

The result is a more fluid, hands-free experience that supports greater independence without replacing human assistance when it is needed most.

Common Travel Applications

The technology has practical applications across nearly every segment of the travel industry, including:

  • Navigating airports, train stations, and cruise terminals
  • Finding hotel amenities, elevators, or guest room numbers
  • Reading restaurant menus or buffet labels
  • Locating accessible entrances and pathways
  • Exploring museums, attractions, and visitor centers
  • Identifying products in gift shops or retail stores
  • Receiving assistance through participating businesses in the Be My Eyes Service Directory

Because the experience is hands-free, travelers can remain focused on navigating their environment while receiving information in real time.

Options for Destinations

Destinations, attractions, hotels, and tourism businesses have several ways to support travelers using Be My Eyes and Meta AI Glasses.

One option is to join the Be My Eyes Service Directory, allowing blind and low-vision customers to connect directly with trained customer service representatives through the Be My Eyes platform. Whether a guest needs help locating an accessible entrance, confirming reservation details, or navigating a venue, businesses can provide personalized assistance through a familiar accessibility tool.

Organizations may also choose to purchase Meta AI Glasses for guest services, accessibility teams, or visitor information staff. The glasses can be used by guests during their stay for confident navigation.

Enterprise subscriptions to Be My Eyes are tailored to each organization based on size, support needs, and integration requirements. Meta AI Glasses are purchased separately 

As wearable AI continues to evolve, the combination of Be My Eyes and Meta AI Glasses demonstrates how technology can complement accessible design and excellent customer service. 

Find more accessibility tech to better welcome all in TravelAbility’s Accessibility Playbook.

Innovation of the Month: SignSafe Tech Translates Text to Speech

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A park visitor scans the QR code on a community park rules sign with their smartphone, activating SignSafe's text-to-speech translation.

What if a simple QR code not only translated text to speech, but could do it in any language, truly welcoming all to participate? This isn’t a literary fantasy, it’s SignSafe Tech’s innovation for inclusion.

The mission is simple: make public spaces more accessible and welcoming by embracing digital solutions that speak to all languages and backgrounds, bridging communities through tech that’s as inclusive as it is intuitive.

SignSafe Tech creates Text-To-Speech (TTS) on every sign, with over 240 language options, with the simple push of a button. No configuration, no app, no login. SignSafe automatically detects each device’s language and translates accordingly. Service includes analytics that can be used for safety, marketing, and overall enhancement of the patron experience. 

Plans vary, but start as low as $85 per sign, making it a practical solution for any type of destination.

↪Learn more about SignSafe Tech and start your free trial today.

Find more simple solutions and innovations for accessibility and inclusion in the Accessibility Playbook.

Rio Mobility’s Firefly is Expanding Accessible Adventure Travel for Wheelchair Users

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A person in a manual wheelchair uses the Rio Mobility Firefly, a red and black motorized front-wheel attachment, while gripping the handlebars against a neutral gray background.

For wheelchair users, joining a bike tour, cruising a boardwalk, or keeping up on a family outing can require far more planning,and far more compromise, than most destinations realize. Rio Mobility is changing that.

The company first caught the attention of the disability community with the Dragonfly, the industry’s first attachable handcycle. Lightweight, portable, and designed for everyday wheelchairs, it gave users a faster, easier way to navigate the world without replacing the chair they already relied on.

That innovation evolved into Rio Mobility’s flagship product: the Firefly.

The Rio Mobility Firefly, a bright green motorized front-wheel attachment, connected to a manual wheelchair against a white background.
The Firefly

Part power assist, part adventure vehicle, the Firefly attaches directly to a manual wheelchair, transforming it into a powered ride capable of traveling 12–13 miles per charge at speeds up to 12 mph. Five speed settings let riders choose the pace that works best for them, while an optional second battery can double the range for longer outings.

The Firefly creates a simple way for wheelchair users to participate in wheeled experiences that have traditionally been difficult to access, from bicycle tours and waterfront rides to scooter and Segway-style excursions.

Now the company is expanding the concept even further with the eDragonfly — a hybrid electric and manual handcycle that blends exercise with powered assistance.

The Rio Mobility eDragonfly, a hybrid electric and manual handcycle attachment, connected to a manual wheelchair against a white background.
The eDragonfly

The Firefly creates a simple way for wheelchair users to participate in wheeled experiences that have traditionally been difficult to access, from bicycle tours and waterfront rides to scooter and Segway-style excursions. For destinations and tour operators looking to expand inclusion, it’s a practical solution with immediate impact.

At $2,649, the Firefly sits in a price range that makes it more attainable than many adaptive recreation devices, while still opening the door to a dramatically different travel experience.

Rio Mobility’s focus is refreshingly straightforward: lightweight design, broad wheelchair compatibility, competitive pricing, and responsive customer support. In an industry where accessibility solutions are often bulky, expensive, or overcomplicated, that simplicity stands out.

A New Way to ‘See’ History: AI Audio Tours in Saratoga Springs Expanding Around the Nation

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L.F. Leon shares the story behind the story on how Saratoga Springs History Museum is bridging the gap for blind and low vision guests. Their new AI program not only adds words to the visual experience, but guests can leap through time and converse with AI powered characters.

How Saratoga Springs History Museum Employed AI for Inclusion

By L.F. Leon

The journey towards inclusion had a clear starting point, but it’s also been a natural progression.

When I joined the museum in 2024, I started thinking about how we could make our exhibits more accessible. Not every visitor engages with traditional display text in the same way. For some, it’s due to visual impairments or other disabilities; for others, it may be attention span, language barriers, or simply personal preference.

Additionally, our museum has two floors that are not wheelchair accessible. That made it especially important to find a way for visitors who couldn’t physically access those spaces to still experience the stories they hold.

That’s really where the idea came from, how do we make the full museum experience available to everyone, regardless of how they move through the space?

The answer was an AI-narrated audio tour. We also enhanced it with ambient sound design for each exhibit, so visitors aren’t just hearing the history, they’re stepping into it. The combination of narration and atmosphere helps create a much more immersive and inclusive experience.

Why AI for Accessibility?

The decision to use AI was largely practical. As a small non-profit museum, we simply don’t have the budget to hire voice actors, book studio time, and manage post-production.

AI allowed us to overcome those barriers entirely. It gave us the ability to produce high-quality narration quickly, affordably, and at scale.

More importantly, it gave us flexibility. We can update content easily, expand the tour over time, and adapt to visitor needs without having to redo an entire production process. For a museum like ours, that kind of agility is invaluable.

What’s the Real-Life Impact of AI for Accessibility?

Visitors who are blind or have low vision have told us how much they appreciate being able to fully engage with the exhibits through audio.

It’s also been impactful for visitors who aren’t able to access all areas of the museum physically. The audio tour allows them to experience exhibits on upper floors they may not be able to reach.

One of the most rewarding things we’ve heard is that the narration, combined with the ambient sound, helps bring the exhibits to life in a way that feels immersive and engaging. It reinforces the idea that accessibility isn’t just about access, it’s about quality of experience as well.

How You Can Revolutionize Museum Accessibility and Engagement in Your Destination

Our experience led us to build a platform specifically for this purpose, called MuseumAI.

MuseumAI allows museums to create AI-narrated audio guides, but it goes a step further. It also enables interactive experiences with historical figures, where visitors can speak directly to AI-powered characters in real time, either through kiosks or their own smartphones.

These AI figures are designed with distinct voices, personalities, and historically grounded knowledge, allowing visitors to ask questions and engage in a more natural, conversational way.

For those who prefer not to speak, there’s also a chat-based experience available on mobile devices, supporting 10 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic.

For institutions interested in exploring it further, we’re currently preparing for a broader launch and inviting early adopters to join the waitlist at museumai.co.

The platform is now being expanded so other museums and cultural institutions can benefit from it as well.

We’ve already implemented MuseumAI at the Saratoga Springs History Museum, and the response has been incredibly positive, not just for its innovation, but for how it improves accessibility and engagement across a wide range of visitors. You can learn more about that here: https://museumai.co/case-studies/saratoga-springs-history-museum

For institutions interested in exploring it further, we’re currently preparing for a broader launch and inviting early adopters to join the waitlist at museumai.co.

At its core, the goal is simple: to help museums share their stories in a more inclusive, interactive, and future-facing way.

L.F. Leon

Director of Communications

LinkedIn

Tactile Restroom Maps: Even Grounds Uses 3D Models to Improve Accessibility for Blind Visitors

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Tactile restroom sign with braille and raised map showing accessible men’s restroom layout.

Even Grounds began as an accessibility consulting company in 2023, but its roots run much deeper.

“I have been an accessibility consultant for over 25 years,” says founder Tom Babinszki.

Originally, Even Grounds focused on digital accessibility. But that quickly evolved.

“Originally I offered digital accessibility consulting services, but soon it expanded to holistic accessibility, all you need to do to be inviting for people with disabilities.”

Holistic accessibility. Not just compliance. Not just websites. But the full, lived experience of being welcomed into a space.

And then, travel changed everything.

A Blind Traveler Missing Out on Famous Architecture

Tom is a blind travel enthusiast. And like many travelers, he loves visiting landmarks and historic buildings.

But there was a problem.

“When I was visiting different buildings, I didn’t know what they looked like.”

So he did what innovators do: he built a solution.

“I hired a 3D designer and a 3D printing company to create replicas for a few famous buildings.”

When he shared them with friends, the response was immediate.

He began creating additional replicas and tactile maps, tools that became especially relevant for museums and educational organizations looking to offer meaningful inclusion, not just verbal descriptions.

Today, Even Grounds’ tactile products are being used and exhibited on four continents.

“One of our greatest achievements is the work with the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. We sent tactile maps and educational objects to African schools.”

Access to understanding space shouldn’t depend on sight and this work proves what’s possible when inclusion is designed intentionally.

The Icky Restroom Problem No One Talks About

“For me, when I visit a restroom in order to find my way around, I have to touch so many things I’d much rather not.”

It’s something sighted people rarely consider. Navigating a public restroom often means trial and error and physical contact with surfaces you’d rather avoid.

“Thus, we created a 3D representation of a restroom so that blind people can understand the layout of the restroom before they enter.”

Instead of exploring by touch inside the restroom itself, a person can study the layout in advance.

“Instead of finding their way around, they know exactly where everything is — down to the detaisl of knowing where the flush button is or where the soap is at the sink.”

That level of spatial awareness changes the experience from uncertain to confident.

How Do You Find A Sign You Can’t See

Tom is used to this question. 

“This tactile map is designed to be placed by the ADA restroom sign so that people who look for the restroom would find it without having to look for it.”

Most importantly, the design goes beyond braille.

“The innovation is that all objects are so tactile that even if you don’t read braille, you could feel what they are.”

This matters. Because not all blind or low-vision individuals read braille and inclusive design needs to account for that reality.

What’s it Worth?

True inclusion means understanding space, feeling oriented, and entering a room without anxiety.

“Since all restrooms are different, anywhere from a single family restroom to a large complex, the pricing differs.”

The basic order begins at $300, with significant discounts available for similar layouts, such as men’s and women’s restrooms or identical floor plans across multiple levels.

“What we need is a drawing of the location, and a few photos or videos so that we understand the sizes and proportions.”

From there, Even Grounds creates a tactile model tailored to the space, turning an everyday necessity into an accessible experience.

Learn more and order your tactile maps at https://evengrounds.com/accessible-tactile-3d-printed-restroom-maps/

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