[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":349},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fmeta-offers-ai-glasses-to-blind-veterans-kern-county-vets-can-apply":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":337,"dateModified":337,"description":338,"extension":13,"meta":339,"navigation":21,"path":340,"rawbody":341,"seo":342,"sitemap":343,"stem":344,"tags":345,"__hash__":348},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fmeta-offers-ai-glasses-to-blind-veterans-kern-county-vets-can-apply.md","Meta offers AI glasses to blind veterans; Kern County vets can apply",false,"CVAI Newsdesk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":330},[242,246,250,269,272,276,279,282,286,289,292,296,299,302,317,320,324],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"meta-offers-ai-glasses-to-blind-veterans-kern-county-vets-can-apply",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263,266],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Meta is donating Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans nationwide through the Blinded Veterans Association.",[254,258,259],{},"The program targets about 130,000 blind veterans across the U.S.",[254,261,262],{},"23ABC reported no blind veterans identified in Kern County yet, but local vets can still apply.",[254,264,265],{},"Features include on-glasses captions, a small display, and a conversation focus mode.",[254,267,268],{},"Nonprofits can request bulk donations and provide training and distribution.",[66,270,271],{},"\"Blind folks are using these glasses to read menus at a restaurant,\" said Katie Jordan, a product strategy and governance policy manager at Meta. The company is donating AI-enabled Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans across the country, a push Jordan said could reach roughly 130,000 people. There aren’t any blind veterans identified in Kern County yet, according to 23ABC, but the program is open to Bakersfield-area vets and the groups that serve them.",[61,273,275],{"id":274},"what-the-glasses-can-do","What the glasses can do",[66,277,278],{},"Meta’s current model adds tools that matter in noisy, real life settings. The glasses can provide live captions for conversations and a conversation focus mode that locks in on one voice in a crowded room, then plays it through speakers in the arms. There is a small display in the lower right corner of the wearer’s view. The system can read mail, describe a room, and help with everyday things like checking a text.",[66,280,281],{},"Jordan described an airport scenario to make the point. A traveler can feel their way through a terminal with a cane or a guide dog, but still needs help finding the right gate or a restroom. The glasses can answer those specific questions, she said.",[61,283,285],{"id":284},"who-qualifies-and-how-to-sign-up","Who qualifies and how to sign up",[66,287,288],{},"Meta is routing donations through the Blinded Veterans Association and partner nonprofits. Those groups can apply for bulk allocations, then handle training and handoff to veterans. Individual veterans can start on the BVA website to learn eligibility, join the association, or connect with a partner group. Meta plans in-person distribution and training events in the coming weeks and months, Jordan said. The app Be My Eyes now works with the glasses to connect sighted volunteers for on-the-spot assistance with tasks that are easier with a helper.",[66,290,291],{},"Partners already involved include National Industries for the Blind, Oscar Mike, Lighthouse Guild, the American Council for the Blind, Homes for Our Troops and Tunnel to Towers. The company said interest now includes eye doctors asking whether the devices could help low-vision patients outside the veteran community.",[61,293,295],{"id":294},"what-it-means-for-kern-county","What it means for Kern County",[66,297,298],{},"For now, not in Kern. That’s what the station heard this week, but the door is open. Bakersfield veterans with vision loss can apply through BVA and ask that training and distribution events include Kern County. Local nonprofits that work with veterans can also request allocations and build a training plan so the rollout here isn’t an afterthought.",[66,300,301],{},"Jordan credited Meta’s leadership for pushing the effort internally and said the software kit opened to outside developers only recently, which is why features are multiplying. \"We are hearing from folks who are learning about resources for blinded veterans for the very first time and getting care for the first time,\" she said.",[66,303,304],{},[305,306,307,308,310,311,316],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,309,239],{}," team and developed by ",[312,313,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":314},[315],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[318,319],"hr",{},[61,321,323],{"id":322},"source","Source",[66,325,326],{},[312,327,328],{"href":328,"rel":329},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.turnto23.com\u002Fnews\u002Fin-your-neighborhood\u002Fbakersfield\u002Fmeta-glasses-for-blind-veterans-how-ai-powered-eyewear-is-changing-lives",[315],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":331},[332,333,334,335,336],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":274,"depth":11,"text":275},{"id":284,"depth":11,"text":285},{"id":294,"depth":11,"text":295},{"id":322,"depth":11,"text":323},"2026-06-27","Meta is donating Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans nationwide through the Blinded Veterans Association, with a goal of reaching about 130,000 people.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fmeta-offers-ai-glasses-to-blind-veterans-kern-county-vets-can-apply","---\nauthor: CVAI Newsdesk\ndate: 2026-06-27\ndateModified: '2026-06-27'\ndescription: Meta is donating Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans nationwide through\n  the Blinded Veterans Association, with a goal of reaching about 130,000 people.\ntags:\n- bakersfield\n- accessibility\n- technology\ntitle: Meta offers AI glasses to blind veterans; Kern County vets can apply\n---\n\n# Meta offers AI glasses to blind veterans; Kern County vets can apply\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Meta is donating Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans nationwide through the Blinded Veterans Association.\n2. The program targets about 130,000 blind veterans across the U.S.\n3. 23ABC reported no blind veterans identified in Kern County yet, but local vets can still apply.\n4. Features include on-glasses captions, a small display, and a conversation focus mode.\n5. Nonprofits can request bulk donations and provide training and distribution.\n\n\"Blind folks are using these glasses to read menus at a restaurant,\" said Katie Jordan, a product strategy and governance policy manager at Meta. The company is donating AI-enabled Ray-Ban smart glasses to blind veterans across the country, a push Jordan said could reach roughly 130,000 people. There aren’t any blind veterans identified in Kern County yet, according to 23ABC, but the program is open to Bakersfield-area vets and the groups that serve them.\n\n## What the glasses can do\n\nMeta’s current model adds tools that matter in noisy, real life settings. The glasses can provide live captions for conversations and a conversation focus mode that locks in on one voice in a crowded room, then plays it through speakers in the arms. There is a small display in the lower right corner of the wearer’s view. The system can read mail, describe a room, and help with everyday things like checking a text.\n\nJordan described an airport scenario to make the point. A traveler can feel their way through a terminal with a cane or a guide dog, but still needs help finding the right gate or a restroom. The glasses can answer those specific questions, she said.\n\n## Who qualifies and how to sign up\n\nMeta is routing donations through the Blinded Veterans Association and partner nonprofits. Those groups can apply for bulk allocations, then handle training and handoff to veterans. Individual veterans can start on the BVA website to learn eligibility, join the association, or connect with a partner group. Meta plans in-person distribution and training events in the coming weeks and months, Jordan said. The app Be My Eyes now works with the glasses to connect sighted volunteers for on-the-spot assistance with tasks that are easier with a helper.\n\nPartners already involved include National Industries for the Blind, Oscar Mike, Lighthouse Guild, the American Council for the Blind, Homes for Our Troops and Tunnel to Towers. The company said interest now includes eye doctors asking whether the devices could help low-vision patients outside the veteran community.\n\n## What it means for Kern County\n\nFor now, not in Kern. That’s what the station heard this week, but the door is open. Bakersfield veterans with vision loss can apply through BVA and ask that training and distribution events include Kern County. Local nonprofits that work with veterans can also request allocations and build a training plan so the rollout here isn’t an afterthought.\n\nJordan credited Meta’s leadership for pushing the effort internally and said the software kit opened to outside developers only recently, which is why features are multiplying. \"We are hearing from folks who are learning about resources for blinded veterans for the very first time and getting care for the first time,\" she said.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.turnto23.com\u002Fnews\u002Fin-your-neighborhood\u002Fbakersfield\u002Fmeta-glasses-for-blind-veterans-how-ai-powered-eyewear-is-changing-lives\n",{"title":237,"description":338},{"loc":340},"news\u002Fmeta-offers-ai-glasses-to-blind-veterans-kern-county-vets-can-apply",[83,346,347],"accessibility","technology","DbgsOP3E0iJG8zh1cL56h0atTUq-ka5AJ2ntUXls8E0",1783395175362]