Quantcast

Emirates supports blind community with donation of over 12,000 eye shades

Emirates supports blind community with donation of over 12,000 eye shades
Policy
Webp d3z46mx96o3cylxg7bcv2qqszzs8
Ali Mubarak Al Soori Chief Procurement & Facilities Officer | Emirates Airline

In September 2024, Tracy Pearce, an outreach teacher with Sight Scotland at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, approached Emirates with a request for eye shades. These are typically used by passengers on overnight flights to simulate visual impairment during training activities. The goal of these trainings is to help teachers and support staff understand the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals.

Emirates' PR and CSR team responded positively, encouraging Tracy to reach out to her network across the UK. This led to requests from over 80 teachers who wanted to use the eye shades in their training sessions. By November, Emirates had distributed 12,250 First Class eye shades to various schools and centers like Guide Dogs for the Blind Associations and Learning and Inclusion Centres.

Tracy Pearce expressed gratitude for the donation: "These eye shades provide invaluable insight into the realities of living with a visual impairment... We’re grateful to Emirates for their generous donation."

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

In addition to this initiative, Emirates is enhancing its services for blind and low vision customers. The airline has partnered with the Be My Eyes app, becoming the first airline globally to offer this service. The app provides video support through volunteers who assist blind or low vision users.

Onboard Emirates' Airbus A350 aircraft, there is a new user interface designed for visually impaired customers featuring audio-cue navigation assistance and audio-descriptive content. Moreover, Emirates is committed to making its digital experiences accessible via its website using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA Success Criteria.

At airports like Dubai International Airport (DXB), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), accessible self-service kiosks have been introduced. These kiosks feature improved typography and text-to-speech capabilities for easier navigation by visually impaired customers.

Emirates also offers meet-and-assist services at all airports and can arrange individual safety briefings onboard flights. Additionally, guide dogs can travel free of charge on certain routes when arrangements are made in advance.

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Star Alliance has been named the World's Best Airline Alliance at the 2025 Skytrax Awards.

Jul 12, 2025

SAS and Air France have applied for a codeshare network covering ten U.S. destinations, including New York's JFK and Los Angeles' LAX.

Jul 12, 2025

Aviation analytics firm Cirium has released its June 2025 On-Time Performance (OTP) report, which analyzes global punctuality trends among airlines and airports.

Jul 12, 2025

United Airlines is set to resume flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on July 21, 2025.

Jul 12, 2025

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport experienced significant growth in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic passenger numbers.

Jul 12, 2025

Emirates' fleet currently includes 253 widebody aircraft, with the addition of eight Airbus A350-900s.

Jul 12, 2025