A New Way of Seeing: The Cadet and the Cadet Foundation Put AI Glasses in the Hands of Blind Veterans

For a veteran who has lost their sight, the ordinary business of living arrives as a series of small surrenders: the menu they can no longer read, the letter from the VA someone else must open, the face of a grandchild he knows only by voice. Now, for the first time in a generation, technology is handing some of that ground back, and members of The Cadet staff and The Cadet Foundation are helping lead the charge. The Cadet Foundation, the independent publisher of The Cadet, has joined one of the most ambitious assistive-technology efforts ever undertaken: Meta's national program, in partnership with the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), to donate Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, at no cost, to every legally blind and severely vision-impaired veteran in America. The initiative, announced by Meta in June 2026, is the largest device donation in the company's history and aims to reach more than 130,000 eligible veterans nationwide. The Foundation's role, carried out through The Cadet staff with cadet volunteers and other alums and non-alumni volunteers, is intensely local and personal: finding veterans, especially in rural and underserved communities where such programs often miss them, and verifying their eligibility, placing the glasses in their hands, and training them until the technology becomes second nature. Glasses That SpeakThe Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, which retail for about $299 a pair, look like ordinary eyewear, and that is part of the point. There is no bulky headset, no stigma, nothing to mark the wearer as different. But spoken commands unlock capabilities that were science fiction only a few years ago: the glasses read menus, mail, labels, and documents aloud; describe objects, people, colors, and scenes; answer continuous, hands-free questions about whatever is in front of the wearer; and connect, hands-free, to a sighted volunteer through the Be My Eyes service for real-time help. Open-ear audio lets the wearer hear guidance while staying aware of traffic and surroundings, and hands-free calls, messages, and photos keep veterans connected to family. The glasses are an assistive aid, not a medical device, and they complement, never replace, the white cane, the guide dog, and orientation-and-mobility training. For the men and women who need them, the effect can be difficult to overstate. "The moment I put on my Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I got my independence back," said Don Overton, the blind U.S. Army veteran whose story inspired the national program. The stakes are equally hard to overstate. Vision loss is one of the signature wounds of modern combat; blast and IED injuries drive traumatic brain injury and permanent sight loss, and more than 158,000 American veterans live today with severe vision impairment or blindness. Cadets on the Front Line of the EffortWhat sets the Foundation's effort apart is who is doing the work. VMI cadets, working through The Cadet and the Foundation, are being trained as trainers, completing the accessibility instruction program so they can sit down with each veteran, pair the glasses to a smartphone, and walk through every feature until the veteran can use it confidently and alone. Cadets are also assisting with distribution events and one-on-one onboarding. It is the citizen-soldier tradition in its purest form: young men and women preparing for lives of service, spending their hours teaching veterans, some of whom lost their sight in uniform half a century before these cadets were born, how to read a letter again. Gracie Harlow '27: "Training veterans to use the glasses has shown me that this is about more than just learning new technology. Seeing someone use them successfully for the first time and realize they can do something on their own again is incredibly meaningful. It is a small device, but it can give someone back a real sense of freedom and independence." Richie O'Connell '22: "When I volunteered with the Cadet Foundation to go to the living spaces of blind/legally blind veterans, I did not think too much of it. Ms. Harlow and I taught ourselves to use the glasses in about 10 minutes and to use the Be My Eyes application in about 10 more. We went to Dr. Al Carr's house in Lexington moments after that for our first time instructing someone on how to utilize Meta glasses as a tool to be more independent in one's day-to-day as a blind individual. Dr. Carr is a Marine Corps veteran from the great VMI Class of '66 who went on to become a professor at Washington and Lee Law School. His house was extravagant, and it made me sad to think he worked so hard and touched the hearts of so many individuals, only to not see the fruits of his labor in his retirement. Ms. Harlow instructed Mrs. Gail Carr, Al's wife, on how to utilize the glasses, while I cracked jokes with Al as I showed him how to use his Meta glasses as another pair of eyes, and how he could use his glasses for other convenient recreational uses such as calling a family member or friend, or even just asking a question. It was especially amusing to watch him test out his glasses by calling his wife just to jokingly say, "Shut up, Gail" and hang up. Before my work with the Cadet Foundation, I never really interacted with or worked with people who are blind. It didn't really hit me how important this service could be until I saw the tears of joy rush down Mrs. Gail Carr's face, excited about her husband's newfound independence and his opportunity to do things he's always wanted to do but couldn't, such as enjoying walking around his property that he worked so hard for. I am very excited to help more blind veterans in the near future, and if you know a blind veteran, I encourage you to reach out to the Cadet Foundation and inquire about this service. It will change their life." 'I Can Do This Myself Again' Al Carr, Lexington, VA, Marine Veteran. Gail Carr, wife of Al Carr wrote The Cadet Foundation after Mr. Carr began using the glasses, "Yesterday, for the first time since Al became completely blind 8+ years ago, he went outside with help from the BeMyEyes app and made his way across the parking area in back, down the drive and back up without having to take the "long route" around the edge of the drive. Amazing!" The Foundation independently verifies every recipient through service records, identity verification, and vision qualification as a safeguard to ensure that each donated pair reaches a genuine, qualified veteran and to protect the program from fraud. The Foundation will never ask a veteran to pay for the glasses themselves, and never requests bank, credit card, or full Social Security information by unsolicited call, text, or email. Meta built the application with Blind Veterans Association for the people it serves: it can be read aloud, completed by phone with a Foundation representative, or provided in large print, braille, or screen-reader-compatible formats. Who Qualifies??The program is open to honorably discharged veterans and current active-duty service members who are legally blind or have a serious vision impairment. A VMI connection, as an alumnus or a relative of one, is a priority factor in the Foundation's outreach. However, it is never required, and its absence never disqualifies an eligible veteran. Recipients will need a compatible smartphone and internet or cellular data. Monthly Help Desk webinars, presented by the BVA, provide ongoing support after the glasses are delivered. Reaching the Whole VMI FamilyThe Foundation believes there are blind and low-vision veterans throughout the extended VMI family, Brother Rats, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, who qualify for these glasses today and do not know the program exists. To reach them, the Foundation has extended invitations to the Virginia Military Institute and to the VMI Alumni Agencies to join the effort and to help share the program with alums and their families through official channels. As of press time, neither has accepted those offers or requests to partner in helping those in need, so The Cadet and the Cadet Foundation, both independent of VMI and its Alumni Agencies, are carrying that outreach forward with the willing partners. Along with Carr '66, Mike Burton '66, and "Butch" Nunnally '64 in Richmond, and veterans as far away as Connecticut, are among the first to receive glasses and training through the Foundation's efforts. The Cadet and the Foundation are actively working with the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired and Purple Heart homes to identify more veterans in need. Some Class agents, such as Sal Vitale '61, are distributing the information to their Brother Rats. At the national level, former Deputy Commandant Lt. Col. Jonathan Hartsock and his fellow members of Congressman Ben Cline's (R-VA) staff are working with the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to reach veterans through Virginia's VA Hospitals. The Foundation says the door remains open to VMI and its Alumni Agencies to join. "Every channel that carries this message means one more veteran who finds out the help exists," said the Foundation's spokesperson. In the meantime, the program moves forward with the partners already at the table. How to Refer a Veteran or Help! Veterans, family members, and anyone who knows a blind or low-vision veteran can contact The Cadet Foundation at info@thecadetfoundation.org, or visit thecadetfoundation.org. The Foundation also welcomes volunteers to help host distribution and training events. Required documents are simple: a DD-214 or active-duty ID, a government-issued photo ID, and vision verification from a doctor or the VA. Foundation representatives can assist with every step, including the paperwork. The Cadet and the Cadet Foundation are executing this program at no cost to the recipients and with a 100% volunteer team. Please visit www.thecadetfoundation.org to donate in support of the Cadet Foundation and The Cadet's work. Cadets who want to join The Cadet training team can contact Editor-in-Chief Gracie Harlow by contacting her at Editor@cadetnewspaper.org One pair of glasses at a time, the mission is the same one every cadet learns on the first day: no one who served gets left behind.