Technology Distribution & Training
Free Meta AI Glasses for Veterans with Vision Loss
East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind is offering opportunities for eligible veterans who are blind or have significant vision loss to receive Meta AI glasses at no cost, including hands-on setup and training.
Meta AI glasses connect with a compatible smartphone and can use AI-powered features to help describe surroundings, read text aloud, identify objects and provide other useful visual information.
This is not a walk-in event. Veterans must apply in advance; approved applicants receive a scheduled appointment time. Review the events below, then complete the application at the bottom of this page.
Upcoming Events
Choose an Event
Each event includes device distribution, setup help, and hands-on training by scheduled appointment — applications are reviewed in advance, and submitting one does not guarantee participation. You'll select the event you want to attend on the application form at the bottom of this page.
Clarksville – October 17
- Date and time
- Saturday, October 17, 2026
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. - Location
- Clarksville Country Club
690 Private Road 7010
Clarksville, TX 75426
Presented in conjunction with the Red River County Veterans Expo by Shield Down.
Austin – October 27
- Date and time
- Tuesday, October 27, 2026
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. - Location
- The University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Campus for Advanced Research
formerly known as the J.J. Pickle Research Campus
Austin, Texas
Open to eligible veterans regardless of where they live. Presented in conjunction with the Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP), which is housed within the Texas Center for Disability Studies at The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work and is Texas’s state assistive technology program, and with Austin Lighthouse for the Blind. The Viva la Vida with A.T. Conference follows on October 28–29 at the same location.
Eligibility
Who Can Apply?
To be considered, applicants must:
- Be a U.S. veteran and provide approved documentation verifying veteran status.
- Experience significant visual impairment — legal blindness or low vision — that interferes with daily living, and provide documentation that allows East Texas Lighthouse to verify it (see Vision Eligibility Criteria below).
- Own and bring a smartphone compatible with Meta AI glasses.
- Be familiar with basic smartphone use, including navigating apps, accessing text messages or email, and entering account information or passwords.
- Attend a scheduled appointment at the selected event.
- Participate in hands-on setup and training when receiving the glasses.
Vision Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Meta AI Glasses for Veterans program, applicants must experience significant visual impairment, including legal blindness or low vision, that interferes with daily living.
Some qualifying conditions may include macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, ocular or brain injury, stroke, or other conditions resulting in significant vision loss.
- Legal Blindness
- Best-corrected central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better-seeing eye, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
- Low Vision
- Significant vision loss that cannot be fully corrected with ordinary glasses or contact lenses and affects safety, daily activities, or independence.
Applicants do not have to meet the definition of legal blindness to qualify. East Texas Lighthouse will review the vision documentation provided to determine eligibility.
What the glasses can do
- Describe surroundings and identify objects
- Read text aloud
- Hands-free calls, messages, and audio
- Lightweight, familiar Ray-Ban design
Before You Start
What You'll Need to Apply
Having your documentation ready before beginning the application will make the process much faster.
Proof of Veteran Status
Please upload one of the following:
- Preferred
- Texas driver license or state ID with the Veteran designation
- VA Veteran Identification Card (VIC)
- VA Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
- DoD Uniformed Services ID or military retiree ID
- Also accepted
- VA service verification or proof-of-service letter
- DD Form 214
- NGB Form 22 (National Guard)
- Other official military discharge or separation record
A veteran ID card is all we need. If you upload a DD-214 or similar record, please cover or leave out Social Security numbers, disability ratings, and other details not needed to confirm veteran status.
Proof of Blindness or Low Vision
To qualify, veterans must have legal blindness or significant vision loss that affects daily activities, safety, or independence. You do not have to be legally blind to apply.
What the documentation must establish
Submitted documentation must contain enough information to confirm at least one of the following:
- Legal blindness, supported by qualifying visual acuity or visual field measurements.
- Significant low vision, supported by a professional assessment describing uncorrectable vision loss and its impact on daily activities, safety, or independence.
Documentation should identify the applicant and the issuing healthcare provider or agency.
Acceptable documentation includes
- Letter or eye examination report from an optometrist or ophthalmologist
- VA eye clinic, low-vision evaluation, or Blind Rehabilitation Services documentation (VIST or BROS)
- State vocational rehabilitation or low-vision rehabilitation assessment
- Social Security determination of legal blindness
An eyeglass prescription, diagnosis alone, or appointment record is not sufficient.
Don't have any of these documents? You can ask your eye-care provider to complete the Texas State Interagency Eye Examination Report (PDF, opens in a new tab) and upload it with your application.
East Texas Lighthouse will review all documentation to determine eligibility, and may contact you for clarification or questions.
Smartphone Information
You will also be asked to provide the make and model of the smartphone you currently use so we can confirm compatibility with Meta AI glasses.
Not sure of your model? On an iPhone, go to Settings › General › About. On Android, go to Settings › About phone.
The Process
What Happens After You Apply?
Submit your application and documentation online
Choose your event above and complete the online application with your veteran-status and vision-loss documentation and your smartphone make and model.
East Texas Lighthouse reviews your application
We'll review veteran status, vision eligibility and technology readiness, including smartphone compatibility.
Approved applicants are contacted to schedule an appointment
Approved participants receive a scheduled appointment time. Submitting an application does not guarantee participation or a pair of glasses — devices and training capacity are limited.
Prepare your phone before the event
Confirmed participants will receive instructions for downloading the Meta AI app and preparing their smartphone before arriving.
Attend your scheduled appointment
You'll receive your Meta AI glasses, assistance setting them up and hands-on training to help you begin using them successfully.
Partnership
A Collaborative Initiative
East Texas Lighthouse is honored to work alongside Meta and the Blinded Veterans Association to put life-changing AI technology directly into the hands of veterans who need it.
Device Donor
National Veteran Membership & Outreach
BVA Mission
BVA serves as ambassadors and mentors for all veterans and their families coping with sight loss.
BVA Vision
BVA continually strives to better the lives of all who served in the Armed Forces living with sight loss through expert advocacy, engaged membership, clear communication, and peer-inspired self-reliance.
“Blinded Veterans Helping Blinded Veterans”
BVA is the ONLY congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization created for, consisting of, and led by visually impaired veterans — focused on the issues, advocacy, and mentorship vital to all veterans and families coping with sight loss.
Our Commitment
More Than a Pair of Glasses
Our goal isn't simply to put technology in someone's hands.
We want every veteran to leave with their glasses set up, connected and with the knowledge they need to begin using them successfully.
That's why setup and hands-on training are part of every East Texas Lighthouse Meta AI glasses distribution event.
RSVP — pre-registration required
Complete the application below and choose the event you’d like to attend. Have your veteran-status and vision-loss documentation and your smartphone make and model ready to upload.
If you are unable to upload the requested forms, please continue to submit the application and we will follow up.
Need help?
Need help completing the online application?
East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind
Toll Free: 1-888-565-3852
Phone assistance hours
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Closed 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Our team can walk you through eligibility, documentation, and the application step by step.