For Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Beacon Bank announces free support for visually impaired users at all branches

Boston, MA On the eve of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Beacon Bank has made free access at all branches to an on-demand service that connects visually impaired users to live, real-time guides who provide assistance through an app using the camera and microphone on the user’s mobile phone.

The Aira Explorer service is available at the bank’s 145 branches, as well as for those who require additional assistance to access visual information in online banking and the bank’s mobile app. Among other things, it provides support navigating branches, reading statements, using ATMs, making transactions and accessing online and mobile banking.

Every call is picked up by a professional visual interpreter who signs a confidentiality agreement and has rigorous training in privacy and security. Aira Explorer offers a number of minutes-based subscription plans, but the service is available at no cost for anyone with a free or paid account while visiting any Beacon Bank branch or using the bank’s online or mobile banking.

“We’re committed to providing welcoming, accessible banking services for all members of our community,” said Ian Perrault, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specialist and liaison at Beacon Bank. “By offering Aira Explorer online and at all of our locations, we are helping ensure clients who need additional support can bank with greater confidence, independence and ease.”

“Banking is a high-detail, everyday task that can present barriers when visual information isn’t available,” said Everette Bacon, Aira’s chief of blindness initiatives. “That’s why we’re especially pleased to work with Aira Explorer Access Partners like Beacon Bank that provide visitors with secure, high-quality visual interpreting so that they can bank with confidence.”

How does Aira Explorer work? A user downloads the free Aira Explorer app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, creates an account, and taps a button to place a call. It is also available through a desktop app and Meta glasses.