Here’s some good news. For the holidays, Dell Technologies partnered with Ballet Austin and eSight to equip visually impaired individuals with new technology that enabled them to view a live performance of The Nutcracker at The Long Center in Austin.
With over 150 community members in attendance, “The Unseen Ballet” was a special event that brought families together this holiday season. One guest was an eight-year-old girl named Lily who loves to dance. Lily was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia which has led to blindness in her right eye and limited vision in her left eye. With her new eSignt device, Lily attended the event with her family and saw the ballet for the first time.
The idea was inspired by Dell’s “How It Happens” brand campaign which features a visually impaired woman at a ballet performance using tech-enabled glasses to watch a dancer on stage.
“The intersection of technology and arts is an unbelievable connection that can-do amazing things for the world,” said Liz Matthews, Senior Vice President of Global Brand at Dell.
For another person at the play, Joseph Mayers, trying on the glasses for the first time was an emotional experience.
“With these glasses that I was able to use, it made me see a lot of things I haven’t seen in a long time. I saw my daughter for the first time a couple weeks ago. She was the only one that was born while I was visually impaired,” said Mayers.
This was 35-year-old Mayer’s first time seeing The Nutcracker. According to CBS Austin, he lost most of his eyesight four years ago from type one diabetes.
