There are many things those of us who can see take for granted.
Knowing whether it’s shampoo or conditioner you’re about to pour all over your head or whether the tin you’re planning to eat from is cat food or beans are simple parts of life many can do without help.
An app has been created to take the hassle out of these everyday tasks for blind and visually impaired people, using volunteers from all over the world to lend a hand.
Be My Eyes is a free app that allows people looking for a virtual pair of eyes to call a volunteer who can receive a video call and decipher whatever the person needs.
Hans Jørgen Wiberg, inventor and founder of Be My Eyes, spoke to Metro.co.uk about the app.
He told all about how his own personal experiences led him to its creation. As a visually impaired person himself he’s worked with the Danish Association of the Blind and understands the needs of someone in a pinch such as this.
While he had friends that used things like Facetime and Skype, there was nothing purpose-built for blind people.
After presenting the app at a startup event in 2012, Be My Eyes was officially released in 2015 and has been going from strength to strength ever since.
Be My Eyes has 1.4 million volunteers and over 84,000 blind or visually impaired people are signed up to the app.
Hans says that they’re also well-equipped to cater for people no matter their language:
‘We have volunteers for 180 languages. If it’s the middle of the night, we can match someone with a volunteer across the world. Some languages – like Icelandic or even Danish – are harder to find volunteers for late at night, but we have a secondary language feature, so if they also speak English or French, the app finds someone that way.’
They’re not planning on turning it into a social networking idea, instead focusing on quick interactions that are efficient and help the person in need right away.
‘You can ask what the weather’s like in London or Denmark, but the goal isn’t making friends.’
Hans wants it to be more about random acts of kindness than some wider friendship-building exercise.
Basically, you get a call, help someone work out the expiry date on their milk or if they’re taking the correct medicine, and neither party has to give up too much time while something nice is done.
‘We call it micro-volunteering… You don’t need to go somewhere on a Wednesday at 7pm every week.’
In terms of feedback, Hans gets emails upon emails praising the app.
From blind people saying that it’s changed their life, to others saying it’s made them so much more independents (as well as volunteers grateful they can make a small difference) it’s a massively positive response.
The app is free to use and ad-free. The brand moved from a nonprofit to commercial company in order to develop their services and broaden their offering.
Be My Eyes has developed a Specialised Help feature so people can speak to professionals as well as just volunteers. Microsoft were their first customer.
They have won numerous awards – from Google Play 2018 for Best Accessibility Experience to a Danish Design Award – and are genuinely making life better for those who use the service.
Isn’t it nice when tech companies bring positive change instead of making the world a worse place to live? Your move Musk and Bezos.
If you want to be part of Be My Eyes you can download it on Android and iOS.
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