Hartselle doctor donates META smart glasses to empower students with special needs

Students with special needs in Hartselle and Falkville are gaining access to advanced assistive technology thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Susan Persall of Hartselle Eye Care.

Persall recently gifted multiple pairs of Raban META smart glasses to special education departments at two local high schools-four pairs to Falkville High School and two pairs to the Instructional Resource Center at Hartselle High School. She also donated a personal pair to a local student, Katie Grace Prater, who lives with SCN8A epilepsy.

Katie Grace’s mother, Kasey Prater, shared her gratitude in a social media post, calling the donation a “God Wink.” “Sometimes things just line up with amazing people that are put in our lives,” she wrote. “This opportunity is absolutely beyond amazing. This is going to help Katie Grace in so many ways that I can’t even imagine the opportunities that she will be given to help her to learn more.” While META glasses are marketed to the general public for their artificial intelligence capabilities, they can be particularly useful for students with disabilities, including visual impairments. The high-tech eyewear can read printed text aloud, identify objects, recognize faces, and offer realtime auditory feedback, helping users better navigate and engage with their environment.

“Dr. Persall is absolutely amazing, selfless and very dedicated to helping the community,” Prater added. “She is appreciated more than she knows.” Educators say the donation has the potential to significantly improve learning outcomes and daily independence for students who struggle with reading, vision or cognitive processing challenges.