A grant by Meta will help Easter Seals Greater Houston determine whether wearable smart frames make life easier for disabled Houstonians. The local nonprofit is one organization that received a share of $2 millions that Meta allocated on Monday, July 27.

"Meta is proud to select recipients, including the Easter Seals Greater Houston, based on demonstrated impact, scalability, and relevance to areas where hands-free technology can make the biggest difference," Meta executive Beth Murray said in response to CultureMap's request for comment. "It was exciting to receive nearly 500 applications from organizations across the country, and now the real innovation begins here in Houston with the Easter Seals project to understand how different local communities can benefit from AI glasses."

Meta launched its AI Glasses Impact Grant program in January with the goal of delivering nearly $2 million in funds to organizations across the country to see how their Meta AI Glasses could improve people's lives. It selected over 30 recipients from more than 500 applicants.

Easter Seals is using the grant to help pay for a program to incorporate smart frames into support for individuals with visual impairments, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and cognitive aging. Easter Seals is part of one of the oldest networks in America for disabilities, delivering disability support, veteran training, and other services. The Greater Houston branch was established in 1947.

Meta AI Glasses integrate AI personal assistance with wearable tech to give a hands-free connective experience. While many people use their built-in cameras and social media access to create content, the Impact Grant promotes how the technology might assist people with disabilities as well as innovate in industrial and scientific fields. Data storage and recall could aid people with memory loss, while interpretative AI facial recognition software may let neurodivergent and developmentally delayed people recognize social cues. The pilot program at Easter Seals will explore some of these possibilities.

Two other Texas organizations received grants. The University of North Texas will also explore disability assistance through Meta AI Glasses, albeit through a school environment rather than in the general public space. Austin software company Embarcadero Technologies will be using the glasses to build a remote training platform that can simultaneously mentor five junior workers at once.