Be My Eyes is an innovative free resource for those who are blind and visually impaired, and it’s available on both the RealSAM Phone and the RealSAM Pocket!
About Be My Eyes
Being visually impaired himself, Hans Jorgen Wiberg, a Danish furniture craftsman working with the Danish Association of the Blind, realised that blind and visually impaired people often needed a little help to solve everyday challenges. He was inspired by a friend who video called family and friends for assistance. He worked with a team to develop a platform that used the same principle to help blind and visually impaired people all over the world.
In 2015 Be My Eyes was launched to connect sighted volunteers to those living with sight loss needing real-time assistance. Since then, Be My Eyes has become one of the largest online communities impacting those who are blind and visually impaired around the globe. There are over 6 million volunteers and assistance can be provided in 180 languages.
How It Works
It’s easy to solve problems and get help for everyday tasks with Be My Eyes. You can access assistance anytime, anywhere from a RealSAM phone just by pressing the ‘tap to talk’ button and saying, ‘Be My Eyes.’ You will be connected to a sighted volunteer who will use the phone’s camera to be your eyes.
4 Ways Be My Eyes Can Help
1. Ask for help finding something you’ve dropped
Being visually impaired myself, I know that it can be frustrating to look for something on the floor, especially when it’s something small and it doesn’t make a lot of noise. While crocheting, I’ve occasionally dropped tapestry needles. Instead of cleaning half my living room floor with my hands or crawling around with my magnetic tool, I could call Be My Eyes to help me find it.
2. Get assistance locating items around your house
Have you ever walked around the house doing different things, got distracted and forgot where you left something? For me, it’s the cup of coffee that I place on the countertop as I make breakfast, on my office desk as I check my emails and out on the patio as I water the plants. While multi-tasking, I often lose my favourite mug. For those who can see well, it’s easy to locate something just by quickly scanning each room or area. For those of us who must physically go to each place we could have left that item, Be My Eyes can help.
3. Ask a Be My Eyes volunteer to describe something
Wheather it’s a picture, a shirt, or anything else, Be My Eyes can describe what you can’t see. And because you’re having a conversation with another person, you can ask them to give you more details or answer questions like, ‘Does the person standing next to me in the picture have brown or black hair? What are we standing in front of?’
Maybe you’re going out and you want to know which shirt to pick. Be My Eyes can describe the colour, print, or style of your clothing.
4. Get help identifying items
While cooking, have you ever opened the wrong jar because you were going by colour or you just can’t see the labels? Finding out that you’ve used a jar of spicy salsa instead of a jar of pasta sauce is not a pleasant experience. When you haven’t had time to organise, label items, or you just don’t know what something is, it’s easy to check with Be My Eyes.
Try It Out
Besides these four examples, there are so many other ways to get everyday support through Be My Eyes’ amazing volunteers. On RealSAM devices, it’s even easier to reach out for assistance when all you have to do is use your voice to call. Try it out and share with the rest of the community how it’s making a difference in your everyday life.
By Guenivir Kendrick
Source:
Be My Eyes. (n.d.). The story about be my eyes. The story about Be My Eyes. https://www.bemyeyes.com/about#:~:text=The%20Be%20My%20Eyes%20story,assistance%20to%20solve%20everyday%20tasks.
