Marking the 130-year anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, the Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced the government will provide a one-off grant of $430,000 to buy and distribute 3500 Alexa smart-speakers to those who need them.
Making the announcement at the launch of the Foundation’s executive organisation Blind and Low Vision New Zealand’s (BLVNZ’s) new strategic plan, the new Alexa units will be purchased by BLVNZ and rolled out to members over the next 12 months.
“It is clear that the Alexa technology is a tool with fantastic potential to improve members lives, making it easier for them to request and receive services and support when it’s needed,” said Sepuloni. “We expect that the grant will support more blind, deaf blind and those with low vision to live meaningful lives where they can connect and participate more fully within their community.”
Demonstrating how she uses the technology, BLVNZ member Sally Britnell, who features on the cover of BLVNZ’s new four-year plan, said she uses Alexa on a daily basis. An AUT lecturer in nursing with research interests in digital health technology, Britnell said she uses Alexa to access the Foundation’s library, listen to the news each morning, check the weather and as an alarm clock and recipe finder among many other things. “So, it would be awesome to get that out to more people.”
BLVNZ’s library gives members access to more than 35,000 audio items, said BLVNZ’s library and studios manager Geraldine Lewis. “There is no waiting around for CDs, with a few simple voice commands, members can be listening to whichever book they choose
