How many times have you aided a blind or visually impaired person to cross the street or read a sign or written directions or identify a person or thing? Every time that you have done so, you have literally been their eyes. CTV Newsreports that a new app is making use of cameras and generous “guides” to help the visually impaired accomplish everyday tasks.

The app, called ‘Be My Eyes’ app pairs the visually impaired with sighted people who help them with a number of tasks, such as counting money, choosing an outfit or browsing the web. Jeffrey Berman a rehab tech training specialist with the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired says,
Most people who are visually impaired are getting really excited because they’re discovering that it’s really not that difficult to browse the web and communicate via email and work with word-processing programs…anymore thanks to this great new assistive technology that’s out there.”

A visually impaired user can ask sighted volunteers to assist them with tasks that need normal vision through a direct video call facilitated by the app. Furthermore, the app uses the cameras on a visually impaired user’s smartphone to show the sighted person what is in front of them. Sighted people can then describe what they see in detail to the visually impaired person over the call.

The report adds that there are a number available to visually impaired people which help with reading paper money or giving walking direction. ‘Be My Eyes’ involves sighted people for that added human contact. So far, there are 230,000 sighted people helping 19,000 visually impaired users through the Be My Eyes app. The key to the success of this app though is more participation from sighted people according to Berman. Be My Eyes is available from Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Source: http://www.networkedindia.com/2015/07/22/lend-your-eyes-to-the-blind-through-be-my-eyes-app/