[Nd-talk] FW: January at Be My Eyes - Monthly Newsletter

Mon Jan 29 20:24:17 UTC 2018

Greetings, 

I thought some of you may like to read the below newsletter and/or subscribe. 

I use “Be My Eyes” and it is a great service for those who have not tried it, the app is free. Go to the app store and search for: Be my eyes then “get” 

All the best, 

Sherry 

From: Alexander from Be My Eyes [mailto:info at bemyeyes.com] 
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2018 11:19 AM
To: sherrybeth7 at gmail.com
Subject: January at Be My Eyes - Monthly Newsletter

This month at Be My Eyes 
January 2018

Hi Sherryshirek,

Welcome to the January edition of the Be My Eyes newsletter. 

2018 is upon us and we’ve got exciting things in store for the Be My Eyes community. We want to thank you for warmly welcoming our Community Stories <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIcvZZGOkyE&list=PLeY7n8eI135A2n4d18Ntv1hNZb7FSbJIc> . We appreciate all your amazing responses to them, and look forward to giving you even more insider stories from both users and volunteers. January also marked a milestone: we are now home to 800,000 volunteers. In this edition of our newsletter we will reveal an exciting new partnership and celebrate Be My Eyes’ 3-year-anniversary since the iOS launch. Enjoy!

News & Updates

Be My Eyes joins forces with Moovit

At Be My Eyes we are pleased to announce our new cooperation with Moovit. We’re teaming up with Moovit <http://company.moovitapp.com?utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr_BeMyEyes_Webpage>  to pursue one common goal: to make public transit more accessible for blind and low vision transit users.

Public transit can impose a challenge for people who are blind or have low vision and rely on public transit to get to work and travel independently. Catching the right train, finding the bus stop or determining your departure time is imperative to getting to your destination quickly and easily. Be My Eyes’ goal is to make the world more accessible for people with blindness or vision loss, including public transportation. With Be My Eyes, blind and low vision users are connected to sighted volunteers with a tap of a button, who are ready to help them navigate to work, find their way through a new environment or choose the best transit route.

How Be My Eyes users have used Moovit for traveling with public transportation

“I used to have to ask someone to tell me what bus stop I was at or which tram was coming, but now Moovit can help.” 
– Peter, United States

“Moovit helped me find the right train platform, and once it arrived I used Be My Eyes to make my way on board.” 
– Marco, Switzerland

About Moovit

Moovit <http://www.moovitapp.com>  is the world's largest transit data and analytics company and the number one transit app. Moovit simplifies urban mobility all around the world; getting around town via transit easier and more convenient. 

Until Moovit, no public transport apps provided additional support for low vision folks to improve their transit experience. Relying purely on driver or station announcements wasn’t a comprehensive solution. For the 253 million blind and low vision people in the world, traveling on public transportation can be difficult without accessible infrastructure, but accessible technology can help. 

Moovit worked with Adi Kushnir, a blind a developer who provided his own first-hand experience as a blind transit rider. Kushnir helped create an accessible integration and ensure the app would be easy to use for all visually impaired users. 

Moovit has made every screen accessible with VoiceOver and TalkBack enabled on iOS and Android devices. With the accessible integration, low vision users simply hold their finger on their phone screen to hear which button or icon is beneath it, helping them to navigate more seamlessly through the app and allowing them to plan trips on public transit with ease. With the Live Directions feature, they get step-by-step GPS-style guidance for their journey and even receive alerts when the bus is arriving or when they’ve reached their stop. 

By combining information from public transit operators and authorities with live information from the user community, Moovit offers travelers a real-time picture, including the best route for their journey. Named “Best Local App” by Google in 2016 and one of Apple’s “Best Apps of 2017”, Moovit launched in 2012 and surpassed 100 million users in five years. The app is available in 44 languages, in over 1,800 cities, and across 79 countries.

Blind and low vision Moovit users can now access Be My Eyes directly from the Moovit app, to ensure a smooth journey with public transportation.

You can download Moovit in App Store <https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/public-transit-app-moovit/id498477945?mt=8>  and Google Play <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tranzmate&hl=en> . You can learn more about Moovit on www.moovitapp.com <http://www.moovitapp.com> .

Holman Prize 2018

What do a blind beekeeper, kayaker, and chef have in common? Besides using their levels of vision to be creative and inspire others, they are also all winners of the first-ever Holman Prize for Blind Ambition <https://holman.lighthouse-sf.org/> , which was awarded in July 2017 by LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. 

This month, the LightHouse opened applications for the Holman Prize’s second year, and will award the $25,000 prize to three more ambitious blind individuals later this year. Any legally blind adult in the world can apply, but there is one major requirement: you have to make a YouTube video. Learn all the rules at the Holman Prize website <https://holman.lighthouse-sf.org/how-to-apply/> , and get your applications in by February 28.

The Be My Eyes Community

We’re celebrating our 3rd birthday!

On January 15th, Be My Eyes celebrated the 3 years anniversary since the release of the iOS app. In the time since, we’ve come a long way. We could not have grown into a massive global community without your help and support. Thanks to all of you, Be My Eyes has evolved from a small iOS app to a daily helper on a global scale for people with blindness and vision loss.

“For me it is a true honour and also very amazing that 55,000 people who are blind or have low vision have found trust in Be My Eyes, and on top of that more than 800,000 wonderful people have decided to sign up to do micro-volunteering in the Be My Eyes community. This gives us the ability to connect people in 145 languages 24/7 - and the fact that all this have happened in just three years is way more than I had ever dreamed of!” – Hans Jørgen Wiberg, Be My Eyes founder

Countless inspiring, compelling and downright funny Be My Eyes moments have taken place in the past three years, and we will foster all those to come. Remember that we love hearing about your favorite Be My Eyes experiences and hope you share your stories. You can make it happen by contacting us at info at bemyeyes.com <mailto:info at bemyeyes.com> .

We’ve got a bunch of exciting things in stock for you so stay tuned! 

Selected quotes from this month

“As advanced as technology is, I think there are some things that technology can’t do. There are some things where the human brain totally rivals technology, and that’s the ability to reason ... this app puts us in touch with the ability to problem solve.” – Terry, blind user from South Africa

“It’s hard to think that there are people in the world who are not so lucky - I think humanity needs solidarity. We need to love and help other people.” – Milena, volunteer from UK

“The Be My Eyes app has changed my life in the way that now I really have certainty, I have a security. Whenever I need sighted eyes, a seeing assistant, I have the possibility to find that.” – Hans-Peter, blind user from Switzerland

End Note

We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed reading the January edition of our newsletters. We always appreciate getting messages from the Be My Eyes community and encourage you to send us an email at info at bemyeyes.com <mailto:info at bemyeyes.com>  if you have any suggestions, feedback, or just want to share your experience with us.

Until next time,
The Be My Eyes Team

Keep in touch, find us on:

 <https://www.facebook.com/bemyeyesapp>  <https://twitter.com/bemyeyes>  <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPz1J3Vl6ZZ_eMG5TK3YFwQ>  <https://www.instagram.com/bemyeyesapp/> 

Be My Eyes Newsletter is sent to our users once a month. 
This month issue is carefully curated by  <https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-rignot-937b74132> Julia Rignot,  <https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilie-skou-andersen/> Cecilie Skou Andersen. 
Questions or concerns?  <http://bemyeyes.com/what-is-be-my-eyes/> Try our FAQ or contact our  <mailto:info at bemyeyes.com> support team. 
If you’d rather not get these updates anymore, please  <http://mixpanel.com/engage/unsubscribe/796533/553d94a066fdfa6636000014/2649824/> unsubscribe here.

“Small acts of kindness with global impact.” 
Be My Eyes

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