#32 Be My Eyes Call

Want to feel super good helping someone with low vision? All you need is a smartphone and be willing to sign up for the app, Be My Eyes. With the use of your phone, you can help someone with low vision. They point their phone at whatever it is they are trying to see. They ask you to tell what the words say, what color something is, what kind of soup can they are holding, whatever. You answer their question and that’s it.

The daughter of a friend, Kiersten signed up. She said, “I was nervous and now feel silly about being nervous. The guy who called asked what was on a piece of paper. It looked blank so Jeremy (Kiersten’s husband) asked him to turn it over. Then he read the words to him. The guy said, ‘Cool, thanks a lot’ and that was it.”

Kiersten’s reaction: “Crazy easy and so rewarding!”

Now, this might sound like a very simple request, but if you need to know what’s on a piece of paper and can’t read it, it’s not that simple.

Blind requests assistance. A blind person requests assistance in the Be My Eyes app. The challenge that he/she needs help with can be anything from knowing the expiration date on the milk to navigating new surroundings.

No need to worry about being overwhelmed with phone calls. There are more than 800,000 volunteers and 52,000 blind and visually impaired users currently using the app. Calls for help go out to multiple volunteers. So far, my calls have always been answered by the time I find my phone.

No need to worry about getting a call in the middle of the night. Calls are given to others in the same time zone. If you help someone, let us know.

Or if you are visually impaired and get help, let us know. You can use the service as much as you want to – any time of day. And YES it’s free.

Here are a couple of comments from the American Foundation for the Blind website: (http://www.afb.org/community/announcements/be-my-eyes-is-now-available-on-android/12)

“This is a revolutionary app – after using Be My Eyes I sat down and realized that I felt a true sense of independence.” – Shaun

“I use Be My Eyes on a daily basis – No app has altered my life as much as Be My Eyes. It just comforts me to know that there is an option, whenever I need assistance.” – Amir

“I just wanted to say that this app has literally changed everything for me, now I have no trouble doing the things that took me a long time before. This app is truly amazing, and the volunteers are very nice and thoughtful.” – Ellen