[Njagdu] Emergency app now available at half price on Seeing Eye auction

[Ginger Kutsch]

Buy now -- available at half price in The Seeing Eye auction at 

www.biddingforgood.com/seeingeye

 

10,000 people die each year because of poor location information when one
calls 911 from a cell phone. The 911 system was set up for landlines and
works great for that. 70% of 911 calls are however from cell phones. Calls
may be routed to other law enforcement -- not your local police. FCC
requirements do not help with calls from inside buildings where your
position can appear to be a block or two away from where you really are.


BlueLight is an app that makes better use of 911 and your emergency
location. It also alerts your emergency contacts with a text if you call
911. If you choose the "Start My Trip" feature, your position once a minute
can be tracked by a family member. It is completely accessible with
VoiceOver for people who are blind.

 

BlueLight donated its app to The Seeing Eye auction and is now being sold at
half price for an annual subscription ($10) and lifetime subscription ($55)
at: 

https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/browse.action?auctionId=25174927
0&categoryId=251749282

 

Here's a blog entry from the BlueLight page interviewing a guide dog
handler.

 

Faces of BlueLight: A Guide and Companion

Working at BlueLight means learning every day about what safety means to
different people. We had a pretty good idea going in about the areas where
we've collected personal experience?-?like campus safety, outdoors
activities, and living in cities while female?-?areas where talking to
customers has mostly strengthened our existing knowledge. Other audiences,
on the other hand, we've been educated about along the way: for instance,
realtors, long-haul commuters, and the low vision/blind community. We've
learned about the dangers of open houses, the reassurance On My Way gives to
the families of 2+ hour commuters, and the comfort of simply knowing one's
address as a blind person walking alone.

 

One striking example of a use case we'd never anticipated comes from the
Consumer Relations Coordinator at the Guide Dog Foundation, a school that
trains guide and service dogs. Jenine, who has been working in this field
for many years, shared her insights on the unique dangers faced by blind
people with guide dogs?-?and how BlueLight can help. Here's her story.

Some of the worst calls I'm involved with as part of my job have to do with
a blind person whose guide dog has been attacked by a loose dog. I've worked
with guide dogs for nearly 30 years now and have been lucky enough to never
have had one of my dogs attacked. One of the biggest issues, though, is that
during the attack, the person needs a quick and efficient way to get help.

 

When we all discuss these incidents, we say that gee, you can just pull out
your phone and call 911. Though the iPhone with VoiceOver has made life much
easier for blind people, dialing a phone number, or even asking Siri to do
so when you are upset or panicking is a lot harder than it seems. An app
that could just have a place on the screen to double tap for help would be
so much easier. Also, something that would connect you quickly to 911 no
matter where you were would be very reassuring.

 

Another reason for an app like BlueLight that is easy to use, easy to set up
and has great VoiceOver support is being able to notify your contacts about
when you are leaving or arriving places. Part of being blind is learning to
get around and memorizing street layouts, names and directions but
sometimes, you can get off track. Being able to notify your contacts or have
them watching your progress is very reassuring.

 

I have recommended the BlueLight app to many of the graduates of the Guide
Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs because of its powerful yet simple
interface. The current location feature serves as a memory aid too if you
get off track during your walk or route to wherever.

 

 

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