Be My Eyes is an app that gives individuals with low vision or blindness more opportunities to be independent. This app connects people with low vision or blindness to people who are sighted.
Sited volunteers can download the app on their iPhone or iPad and create an account as a site helper. Users with low vision or blindness also create an account but do so as a blind user. When a person with low vision or blindness needs a set of eyes, they can open up the app and send a request for assistance. Once a person accepts the request, the two can now communicate with one another. The camera on the phone of the person with low vision or blindness will be activated so the helper can see what the person’s camera is capturing.
This app launched last fall and so far there are 198,886 sited helpers, 17,589 users, and 65,930 instances where people were helped through the app. This app is a free app and is currently only available through the Apple store for Apple devices. There will be an app for Android supporting devices coming out soon.
Check out the website for Be My Eyes for more information and video that gives some example uses.
http://www.bemyeyes.org/