Sighted folks can now lend a helping hand to the visually impaired via Be My Eyes, an iOS app which allows blind users to remotely request assistance from a sighted person when needed.
Requests for help might range from checking the expiry date on a container of milk to looking at an airport departure board for a gate number …
If you’re a sighted person willing to help when needed, you simply install the free Be My Eyes iOS app, and indicate that you are a sighted person willing to help. Then, when a visually impaired user of the app needs assistance, you’ll be alerted about their request.
As soon as you accept the request, a live audio-video connection will be setup between you and the user needing help, and you can tell the blind user what you see when they point their phone at something using the rear-facing camera.
Don’t worry if you’re too busy to help when the request comes in, the request is automatically rotated among sighted users until someone accepts the request.
The Be My Eyes website shows over 12,000 blind folks have been assisted via the app so far.
“It’s my hope that by helping each other as an online community, Be My Eyes will make a big difference in the everyday lives of blind people all over the world” – Hans Jørgen Wiberg, Founder of Be My Eyes
This is a great use for the capabilities of the iPhone, and MacTrast sincerely hopes this category of apps and services for the blind, and other differently-abled people, continues to grow.
The Be My Eyes app is available FREE for the iPhone and iPad in the iOS App Store. [DIRECT LINK]