Sight through the phone

As part of my new year’s resolution, I have decided to focus on small ways to make a big difference. The pandemic has made it difficult to help out in-person, so I was thrilled when I found the Be My Eyes app.

A volunteer service launched in 2015, Be My Eyes, connects blind and low-vision individuals with ‘seeing’ individuals when a little extra vision is needed. The app is accessible in more than 150 countries worldwide and over 180 languages.

The app makes it easy to volunteer; just your name and an email are needed to register. After a quick tutorial, you are ready to start and placed on a calling list with other volunteers.

When a visually-impaired individual needs help, they place a video-call, which sends an alert to your phone. If you’re available to answer, the conversations usually last less than 30 seconds. The program is very clear that there is no guilt if you cannot answer a request since there are more than four million volunteers across the globe.

I downloaded the app last week and have answered two video-calls since then. One caller asked about a shirt, and the other needed help identifying canned food. The last call went a little something like this:

“Hi there, I’m Beka! How can I help you today?”

“Hi Beka, I need help choosing the can of corn.”

“The can of corn is the can to your left.” I made sure the individual had their hand on the correct can and confirmed.

“Thank you!” end of call.

Like I said, making a big difference in a little way.

When I first signed up to be a volunteer, I was told that it could take up to two weeks to receive my first call, but it was less than two days.

If you’d like to volunteer, the free app is available for Android through Google Play and iPhone at the Apple store. No training or experience is necessary!