I have read about this app and it sounds like a great idea, though I have not tried it yet.
Thank You, Darrel Vickers, president, Adaptive Technology http://ati.moblind.org Please also Visit me and my friends at: Woodworking for the Blind http://ww4b.org -----Original Message----- From: ATI [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nancy Lynn Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2015 5:56 PM To: ATI List; mcb chat Subject: [ATI] [Nfbmo] News Story Danish App 'lends sight to the blind' from Nancy Lynn [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Dan Flasar via Nfbmo Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2015 4:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Nfbmo] News Story - Danish App 'lends sight to the blind' - whatdo you think? ;Hi all, Below, I've inserted the text from an article from The Huffington Post. I'll include a link at the end but HuffPo isn't the most blind -friendly of sites. What do you think of this app? Included text begins now: A new app lets you -- yes, you -- help the blind see. Copenhagen-based app _Be My Eyes_ (http://www.bemyeyes.org/) , which launched on Thursday, connects blind people and sighted people through their iPhones and iPads. Here's how it works: If you're blind, you can sign up for the service and reach out to sighted users through a live video connection on the app. Once connected, blind users can ask sighted users questions over video chat. If you're sighted, you can sign up to help blind users. If you're a sighted user and you get a request, it will come through your phone as a push notification with a ringing sound. If you tap the notification, you'll be connected and a video will pop up, showing whatever the blind user is filming. You'll also be able to hear him or her speak and ask a question. Sighted users might be asked to help navigate a new place, read a sign or label, or help in some other way. One example of how someone might use the app is to help distinguish between two cans of food: (illustration of 2 different cans of food) Both iPhones and iPads have services built in to help blind users. You can _use VoiceOver for iOS_ (https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/voiceover/) to get your iPhone or iPad to help you navigate your screen, type, read, use apps and more. Since you're connected to each other via live video, there are obviously some ways in which users could abuse the system. "Both the blind person and the sighted person are allowed to report each other for misuse," Be My Eyes co-founder and CEO Thelle Kristensen told The Huffington Post in a phone interview on Friday. If you get reported enough times, you won't be able to connect to anyone through the app anymore. If you're a sighted user and a notification appears but you don't answer it, the request will simply go to someone else. As of now, there are currently more than 17,800 sighted people and 1,500 blind people using the app, according to the Be My Eyes website. More than 2,900 pairs of blind and sighted people have been connected so far. "Not every helper has gotten a call yet," Kristensen said. "We hope to see that picking up more and more." The entire service is free, and Be My Eyes is a nonprofit. It's only available on iOS devices for now, but you can_ request to be notified_ (http://bemyeyes.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e7bc4d93c409f117307da5764&i d=6715c5a0e a) when the Android app is available. (embedded video not copyable) Here's the link to the story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/be-my-eyes-app_n_6488230.html Dan _______________________________________________ Nfbmo mailing list [email protected] http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbmo: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/freespirit.stl%40att.net _______________________________________________ ATI (Adaptive Technology Inc.) A special interest affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind http://moblind.org/membership/affiliates/adaptive_technology _______________________________________________ ATI (Adaptive Technology Inc.) A special interest affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind http://moblind.org/membership/affiliates/adaptive_technology
