鶹Ƶ

Skip to main content
  • Home
  • 鶹Ƶ
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • 鶹ƵUniversity Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • 鶹ƵUniversity Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Home
  • 鶹Ƶ
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

鶹ƵUniversity to Provide Aira Visual Interpreting Service to Campus Community

Wednesday, May 1, 2024, By Eric Ferguson
Share
faculty and staffInformation Technology ServicesITSStudents

Someone holding a cell phone with an app on the screen鶹ƵUniversity’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division has announced a new partnership to make the available to the campus community at no cost, effective Friday, May 3. The University’s designation as an Aira Access Partner means that anyone—including students, faculty, staff, families and other visitors who are blind or have low vision—can use the Aira Explorer mobile app’s on-demand visual interpreting service to navigate the campus environment and complete a variety of tasks. This new offering coincides with the approach of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on Thursday, May 16, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of digital accessibility for the more than one billion people with disabilities worldwide.

How Aira Works

To take advantage of the newly available visual interpreting service, users can download and launch the Aira Explorer mobile app while on the University campus. With the tap of a button, the user’s phone streams live video to a trained Aira agent, who will then provide verbal descriptions of the caller’s surroundings and reading assistance as needed. With Aira, users with blindness or low vision can better access the campus experience, including:

  • Locating buildings and specific classrooms
  • Reading signage, menus, product labels, price tags and other posted printed materials
  • Attending events such as Commencement or sporting events
  • Locating items in the Campus Store
  • Finding items and available seating at dining halls

“We are thrilled to offer Aira’s visual interpreting service to anyone on campus,” says Marla Runyan, assistant director of digital accessibility and Aira user. “Whether attending a special event or just moving through a typical day, Aira offers greater access and independence for the blind and low-vision community. Becoming an Aira Access Partner just makes sense.”

Some well-known Aira Access Partners include Starbuck’s, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., TD Bank and the Smithsonian. 鶹ƵUniversity joins a robust list of Aira’s higher education partners, including:

  • Columbia University
  • Duke University
  • Princeton University
  • The Ohio State University
  • University of Pennsylvania

The Aira partnership continues recent investments in digital accessibility at 鶹ƵUniversity. In March, the announced the availability of SensusAccess, a new and fully automated document remediation and file conversion service that makes electronic documents such as PDF files or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations more accessible to audiences of all abilities.

“We are excited to make Aira available to anyone who comes to campus, whether as a full-time student or as a visitor for a football game or concert,” Senior Vice President for Digital Transformation and Chief Digital Officer Jeff Rubin said. “This partnership attests to how technology can help create a university that is welcoming to all.”

 

  • Author

Eric Ferguson

  • Recent
  • Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
    Tuesday, May 27, 2025, By News Staff
  • 鶹ƵUniversity 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • University’s Dynamic Sustainability Lab and Ireland’s BiOrbic Sign MOU to Advance Markets for the Biobased Economy
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Engaged Humanities Network Community Showcase Spotlights Collaborative Work
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By Dan Bernardi
  • Students Engaged in Research and Assessment
    Tuesday, May 20, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

鶹ƵUniversity, Lockerbie Academy Reimagine Partnership, Strengthen Bond

鶹ƵUniversity and Lockerbie Academy are renewing and strengthening their longstanding partnership through a reimagined initiative that will bring Lockerbie students to 鶹Ƶfor a full academic year. This enhanced program deepens the bond between the two communities, forged in…

鶹ƵUniversity 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid

鶹ƵUniversity today announced a major investment in student financial support as part of its 2025-26 budget, allocating more than $391 million to financial aid, scholarships, grants and related assistance. This represents a 7% increase over last year and reflects…

Engaged Humanities Network Community Showcase Spotlights Collaborative Work

The positive impact of community-engaged research was on full display at the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC) on May 2. CFAC’s galleries showcased a wide array of projects, including work by the Data Warriors, whose scholars, which include local students…

Students Engaged in Research and Assessment

Loretta Awuku, Sylvia Page and Johnson Akano—three graduate students pursuing linguistic studies master’s degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences—spent the past year researching and contributing to assessment and curricular development processes. The research team’s project, Peer-to-Peer Student Outreach…

Awards Recognize Success of Assessment Through Engagement and Collaboration

Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness (IE) presented awards to faculty and staff members, students, offices and programs and hosted a poster presentation during the One University Assessment Celebration on April 25 in the School of Education’s Education Commons. In her…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

For the Media

Find an Expert
© 2025 鶹ƵUniversity News. All Rights Reserved.