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On Friday, June 12, 2026 Mark Zuckerberg announced a donation of approximately 130000 Meta Ray-Ban glasses to blind veterans. The goal is to provide each blinded veteran with one in the United States. This does not mean that they will now start mailing one out to each eligible person. Rather, people who can prove eligibility will be able to request one from the Blinded Veterans Organization or from any of their partners. Most likely over the next few days we are going to receive more information.
This distribution will be somewhat similar to how eligible blind people can receive a digital book reader, or a currency recognizer.
In the first chapter I gave you a few examples of what an accessibility committee can do. We will expand that in greater detail later, but for now, let’s talk about why it is relevant.
In a nutshell, I would say that the accessibility committee is the bridge between what is now and what is ideal. But it is not a real bridge, maybe a path rather, because the ideal is a moving target and if things are done well, the what is now is also changing dynamically. Therefore, it is not just the matter of crossing the bridge, rather, it is about always aiming at the direction where we want to be while it changes over time.
I think you will read many more times in this guide that it depends, or each organization is different. But let me give you some ideas about who should participate in an accessibility committee. For now I won’t worry much about the size of the committee, as it will have to be its own discussion.
The following is the first part of a longer series I am planning to write about accessibility committees. In this first part I will explain what it is.
However, before I get started, if we haven’t met each other yet, you may wonder what qualifies me to write about the topic.
I would like to introduce my friend of 20 years, Julius Charles Serrano, a coach, speaker, accessibility consultant and an adventurer.
We met in person the first and only time in Malaysia in 2008, when I taught the first group of blind people in South-East Asia to become accessibility consultants. Since then we worked together on many projects. Julius now lives in New Zealand.
Each time we talk he tells me about an adventure I admit I get the shivers in my spine just to hear about it. He likes heights, jumps, out of the box ideas and experiences which he relates with the coaching and consulting work he does. I thought he would be a great person for my readers to meet. The following is an interview with Julius.
Recently I found that more and more flights have braille numbers above the seats. The first time I came across this in 2023 on an Air Canada flight. But I also read that United Airlines will outfit all their flights with braille seat numbers by the end of 2026.
Since then, I found these more often, last time a week ago when I was flying to Washington DC.
After my visit, I couldn’t tell you what was more fascinating: the historic building, the eclectic exhibit, or the owner himself. Each is worth a visit on its own, but the three-in-one package is the real deal.
I hadn’t heard of the Darl Center until I met the owner, Darl Schaaff, at the Ohio Museums Association conference. We happened to be in the same meeting and struck up a conversation. I was immediately intrigued by his background and asked Darl if we could arrange a private tour for me to experience the space firsthand.
If you are blind, when you visit a restroom by default you will end up touching many more things than sighted people to find the same facilities. Wouldn’t it be great to minimize contact with things you wouldn’t need to touch in the first place?
This is why I invented the accessible tactile 3D printed restroom maps.
A tactile restroom map is a 3D-printed miniature replica of a restroom’s layout, mounted beside the ADA sign, that blind visitors can feel before entering.
When a blind person visits a restroom, before they enter they can quickly examine a map of the exact layout of the restroom so they can go exactly where they want to without having to explore and accidentally touch more than necessary.
I would like to introduce you to my friend, and previous colleague from IBM, Erich Manser who is a competitive blind runner. Over the years I enjoyed hearing about his adventures, and when it comes to sports, I got much inspiration from him.
Erich is 53 and lives in Littleton, Massachusetts with his wife Lisa and their daughters Ellie and Grace. He currently works at Harvard University as part of their Digital Accessibility Services team, where he enjoys helping all Harvard schools & departments ensure their digital content and technologies are accessible and inclusive of all users. Erich enjoys running, and is proud to have run 25 marathons, including 15 Boston Marathons, as well as 3 Ironman triathlons.
For the last three years I’ve been trying to figure out how to get into a self-driving car. Each time I was in a city,…