Walmart has debuted a pilot program with Aira, a mobile app that connects blind and low vision customers with a sighted interpreter who can describe products, labels and prices in real time. Walmart is offering the wayfinding app for free, joining retailers including Target, Meijer, Wegman’s and Starbucks that also are leveraging the Aira app, according to a report in MediaPost.
Aira’s professional visual interpreters are trained to offer objective feedback, which keeps the customer in charge of their own choices. There’s no time limit for using the app, allowing the interpreter to provide information on, for example, the message in a greeting card or the exact color of a blouse.
“I think the thing they’re going to gain the most from our partnership is this demonstration to the world that Walmart and Aira really do think about the customers they serve,” said Everette Bacon, Chief of Blindness Initiatives at Aira, who is blind himself.
“The reality is, we have tons of shoppers with disabilities who we want to make sure are having as good, if not better, of a shopping experience with us as someone who doesn’t have a disability,” said Gayatri Agnew, Head of Walmart’s Accessibility Center of Excellence.
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Walmart has taken several steps to make its stores and website more accessible. In both the U.S. and Canada, Walmart stores have instituted sensory-friendly store hours for neurodivergent customers, and in September 2024 the retailer announced it would equip its Supercenters with Caroline’s Carts for people with disabilities or limited mobility. Walmart also has expanded its adaptive product lines.
