Emirates recycles over 12,000 First Class eye masks for blind teacher training

Dubai: Emirates, Dubai’s flagship carrier, has donated over 12,000 first-class eye masks to teacher training programs for the blind and visually impaired across the UK. The airline donated the eye masks thanks to an initiative sparked by a Scottish educator, the airline said in a statement Tuesday.

Tracy Pearce, an outreach teacher at Sight Scotland’s Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, reached out to Emirates in September 2024, knowing the airline provides eye masks on overnight flights. She explained how these could be repurposed to train teachers better to support visually impaired students by simulating vision loss.

Inspired by her request, Emirates’ PR and CSR teams sourced the masks. They encouraged Pearce to extend the opportunity to her network. Over 80 schools, sensory service providers, and inclusion centres requested donations within days. By November, 12,250 eye masks had been distributed to organizations like Guide Dogs for the Blind Associations and Habilitation services.

“These eye shades provide invaluable insight into the realities of living with a visual impairment. They are a crucial tool in our training sessions, allowing participants to experience first-hand the challenges faced by those with sight loss,” said Tracy.

Beyond this initiative, Emirates continues to enhance accessibility for blind and visually impaired passengers. It recently became the first airline to integrate the Be My Eyes app, offering live video assistance through its call centres. It said the airline’s upcoming Airbus A350 fleet will also feature an improved inflight entertainment interface with voice navigation, touch gestures, and audio-described content.