Vassilisa Kavadias – Business Administration and Human Resource Management/ nevronas.gr

Technology never ceases to amaze me, in a good way. Ever since I stumbled upon the app I want to introduce to you, all I’ve been thinking about is how can I share information with as many people as possible so they can do the same in turn.

It all started, as it does most of the time, with a random exploration of one of the two largest online app stores for mobile phones and tablets, which in this case is none other than Google.

Through my research, I managed to discover a small treasure, unknown until that moment, at least to me. This treasure, because that’s what it looks like to me, has a name, and it’s called “Be my eyes.”

How would you feel if you were visually impaired and found that the app could be your valuable assistant? Also, how would you feel if you knew that this app is free and you can use it 24/7 on your mobile phone or tablet?

After this information has already piqued your interest, how about you find out that there is something better, as this venture has been warmly supported by the international community of volunteers who are involved in efforts to improve your daily life? Although the answer to the above questions is unique to each of us, I will say that I was impressed.

Mr. Hans Jørgen Wieberg, creator of Be My Eyes, is the main person responsible for all of the above, as he has managed to create what is admittedly an excellent app for “connecting” visually impaired people with sighted volunteers and companies from all over the world . , through a live video call.

Nothing started by accident in the history of Be My Eyes…

In 2012 in Denmark, Hans Jørgen Wieberg, a visually impaired furniture maker, realized through his work with the Danish Association of the Blind that people who are blind or visually impaired often need a little help to carry out daily tasks.

A blind friend shared with him the habit of using video calls to “connect” with family and friends who could help him with tasks he couldn’t do on his own.

In connection with this “patent”, Hans Jørgen was inspired to create “Be My Eyes” because he believed that video call technology could be used to provide visual assistance to blind or visually impaired people, not relying on friends and family, but using a network of volunteers.

In April 2012, he presented his idea at a start-up event in Denmark, where he contacted a team ready to make “Be My Eyes” a reality. On January 15, 2015, the app was released for iOS and within 24 hours it already had over 10,000 users.

The Android version was released on October 5, 2017. In December of the same year, “Be My Eyes” was selected as the “Best App on Google Play” of 2017 in the “Most Innovative”, “Best Daily Assistant” categories. and “Best Hidden Gem”. But the awards didn’t stop there, as it also won the “Best Accessibility” award in May 2018.

In February of that year, the “Expert Assistance” feature was launched, with Microsoft leading the way as a partner company. “Expert Assistance” allows blind and visually impaired users to contact official representatives of the company for affordable and effective customer support.

The app has now managed to offer many enterprise solutions beyond Expert Assistance, including Be My Eyes for Work, Corporate Volunteering, Be My Eyes, and Be My Eyes. Career”.

Feel free to join the world of Be My Eyes and support the visually impaired in your own way. Through your mobile phone or tablet, you can easily install the application and make the daily life of people who need it so much easier.