Nonprofit uses 360 video tours of businesses to help people with disabilities

The first time Meegan Winters saw a 360 video, her immediate thought was that the technology could help people with autism.

That was seven years ago.

As 360 video has become more mainstream, Winters, a special educator from Mason, has made it her mission to get more businesses and public spaces to use the technology to help people with disabilities.

360 videos are shot by an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras that record every direction of a space at the same time. When watching a 360 video, the viewer has control of the viewing direction.

Able Eyes gathers 360 videos of businesses and displays them on its website to give people a chance to tour a space virtually before making a visit. Businesses can either donate a 360 video they already have or work with Able Eyes to create one.

Preuss Pets, Tasty Twist in East Lansing and Kean's in Mason all have 360 videos on the Able Eyes site.

The videos are helpful because predictability is important for people with autism, Winters said. The more a person knows about a scenario going in, the more likely it is that they'll have a smooth experience.

But Winters said the 360 videos could help people with a range of disabilities.

“The main goal is to make sure people with disabilities have equal access to the community," she said.

With the technology, a person with post-traumatic stress disorder could easily map out a quick trip to a grocery store, Winters said. For people in wheelchairs, a 360 video would make it easier to determine which stores are easiest to maneuver.

“You just don’t just take public transportation to a random place without knowing what to expect because you can’t take a chance on not being able to get to the bathroom,” Winters said. “Just because a place is ADA accessible doesn’t really mean it’s accessible to all.”

Beggar's Banquet in East Lansing commissioned a 360 video last year to show off the parts of the restaurant that can be reserved, general manager Craig Collier said. When a prospective customer asks about reserving a space, Collier said he sends a link of the 360 video to give a better sense of the room's scale.

Beggar's Banquet donated its 360 video to the Able Eyes website. Collier, who has a brother with special needs, said the technology could be a "a game changer" for some people. It could make people feel more comfortable going new places, he said.

“It’s an opportunity and an avenue to hopefully empower," he said.

The rate for a 360 video starts at $500, Winters said, and prices vary depending on the size of a space.

Able Eyes co-founder Brian Town said the program is way for businesses to promote themselves while helping their community. Participating Able Eyes businesses get a sticker on their window with the nonprofit's logo and can use the 360 video for marketing purposes.

Town is also the CEO of Michigan Creative, a marketing agency that provides some of the 360 video tours for Able Eyes partner businesses.

“I think we're giving businesses a unique way to promote themselves," he said, adding that more businesses are using 360 video as a way to market themselves.

Winters also creates video tutorials for the Able Eyes website about how to make grilled cheese, tie shoes and complete household chores. The "video modeling" is a way to help teach skills in a visual way, Winters said.

Before starting Able Eyes in August, Winters worked as the vice principal at the Lyle Torrant and Kit Young Centers in Jackson County.

She'd like to work more with schools in the future, for new students to one day take a virtual walk through their school before their first day and for students to create video modeling tutorials for fellow classmates.

"[Able Eyes is] going a lot of different directions, and I don't have a box that it has to be in or expectations," she said. "I just want it to be whatever it has to be to help people, so I'll go wherever it takes me."

Contact reporter Haley Hansen at (517) 267-1344 or hhansen@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @halehansen.