[nfbmi-talk] Help give sight to the blind

[Larry Posont]

National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
7189 Connors Rd.
Munising, MI 49862

April 17, 2015

Dear Michigan Federationists:

     Here is information about a new app that may be of interest to some of you.


Sincerely,
Larry Posont
President
 National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
 (906) 387-3546
Email: president.nfb.mi at gmail.com
 Web page: www.nfbmi.org

Munising home of the beautiful Pictured Rocks.
Help give sight to the blind Just for a moment, I want you to close
your eyes and imagine that you are blind. Now, let's complete a few
basic tasks, like separating medications, using the right button on a
microwave oven or knowing which side of the street to catch the bus.
Think of all the questions you might have because you can't see.
There's a new non-profit app out that allows sighted people to "lend
their eyes" to those with visual impairments through video chat.
Simply put, it's remarkable. The Be My Eyes (Apple; free) app was
developed by a visually impaired man in Denmark. It connects blind
people to sighted volunteers through video chat. The volunteer can
answer questions because they can see the blind person's surroundings
using their phone's camera. The other day, I connected with a young
man who wanted to know the expiration date of the milk in his
refrigerator. He positioned his phone's camera to the top shelf.
Looking at the image of the milk carton on my phone, I said, "I
wouldn't drink that if I were you. He laughed, thanked me and that was
the end of our call.