I am self-employed and a business owner and while I am in Canada I could 
certainly claim it to be an expense just as are the wages of my employees or 
the bill for my phone/internet service or the services of my accountant.

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of 
Cristóbal Muñoz
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 3:15 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Aira

Business owner/Self-employed.

Cristóbal

From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of Andy 
Baracco
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 3:08 PM
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Aira

If you are an employed SSDI recipient and you use aiRa in the context of your 
employment, you could probably claim it as an employment related work expense 
against your SGA.

Andy

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristóbal Muñoz<mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 2:37 PM
Subject: RE: Aira

Kind of a related question. Does anyone deduct the cost of Aira on their US 
taxes?
What’s the official position on this? Does it fall under the blindness related 
expenses and so on?

Cristóbal

From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of 
Brandon Olivares
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 2:33 PM
To: VIPhone <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Re: Aira

David, you’re speaking of things you have no idea about.

I have Aira and love using it. No I don’t use it to describe a play or 
something, but quite ordinary things. Could I do these things in other ways? 
Sometimes yes, but far more inconveniently.

It used to take me forever to check the mail. Sure I could use SeeingAi or KNFB 
Reader, but it takes a long time because they aren’t so great with envelopes. 
Now I just call up Aira and they have it done for me in just a minute.

Or say there’s something I have to do online that’s inaccessible. Should I wait 
for a sighted person to be around? My wife and I, both visually impaired, live 
alone. So I could wait sometimes days to see a sighted person that I can ask 
for help. Why should I?

You’ve constructed quite a nice straw man there, but it’s not at all true.

Finally, I’m not unemployed, and in fact make quite a bit as a full time 
programmer. I’m not sure why so many blind people are unemployed, I certainly 
had no issue finding a job, but of course there are other circumstances. But 
there are plenty of us who are successful and who can subscribe to Aira, so why 
shouldn’t we? $199 isn’t so much at the end of the day.

Brandon

On Jan 27, 2019, at 5:10 PM, David Moore 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

Hi Andy,
I totally agree as well.
How many blind people can afford $200.00 or more a month to get unlimited 
service to have an entire play at the theater described for them.
The people who are so passionate about this service, don’t realize that the 
blind are 70 percent unemployed.
What about those people?
I went to the Ohio State University and went everywhere I wanted to go with my 
good, old cane, and I do so today.
Technology is just getting out of hand, I think.
It is making some people lazy.
Also, why are blind people alone all of the time.
I hear so many blind people say that they are alone here and there, and they 
need this service.
I always have people around everywhere I go , practically.
How many sighted people go out and roam around alone.
Another thing this brings up, is that blind people need to be with sighted 
people, instead of using a service like this.
We are becoming a society where everyone wants to do everything for him or her 
self, instead of relying on each other.
Many cultures would not think of doing so many things alone like we do in the 
west, and I assume Australia
And New Zealand.
Mexicans love to live with their extended family.
They would not live alone if their life depended on it.
Technology like this AIRA, are just causing people to be alone more with their 
technology.
When I ride the bus, I am always talking to people.
I do not even want to get on my phone!
I love talking to strangers the whole time I am out, , not on a device.
Thanks for putting up with my little rant.
Sometimes, I think the blind were better off, when they had to get a reader to 
read everything to them, and they had to remember it or take good Braille notes 
as the human read to them.
New is not always better for people!
Have a great one,
David Moore
Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10

From: Andy Baracco<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:19 PM
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Aira

I agree!

Considering that most blind people are unemployed, and that the average
income of blind folks is well below that of those who are not blind, aiRa
will only be feasible for a minority of blind people, thus making services
like Be My Eyes, and platforms like MS Seeing AI a welcome alternative.

Andy

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cristóbal Muñoz" 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
To: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:05 PM
Subject: RE: Aira


As with most things in life. You get what you pay for...
And this isn't meant to denigrate BeMyEyes or the people who volunteer
through the service, but keep in mind you're talking about well intentioned
people who are still just volunteers at the end of the day.

Cristóbal

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of Marie
Lyons
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:53 AM
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Aira

I can only tell you about “Be my eyes” and a difficulty I experienced. A
volunteer said, ”over there”. That isn’t very helpful to a blind person. I
do know of 2 stores who offer “Aira” for free: Wallgreens and Wegmanns. This
is done by using the app on your iPhone.

Marie Lyons

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 27, 2019, at 2:09 PM, Holly 
> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>
> Hello:
>
> I just joined this group yesterday.  I have been following the discussion
> concerning Aira.
>
> I am certain that most of you know about the app 'Be My Eyes', which is
> free and essentially operates like Aira, although the sighted people
> answering the phones are volunteers, not paid operators.
>
> I have never had a particular reason to use either app, as am living with
> a sighted partner.
>
> Could anyone tell me how they compare?  The paid version seems very
> expensive for low income people.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Holly
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