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Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

bemyeyes.org

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Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#31

Post by khebbie »

yawz wrote: post #22
khebbie wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well I have used the app as both blind and sighted. A blind person simply presses a button which sends requests to a helper. If the helper does not have time, the api sends a request to another helper. When a helper takes the call, he/she gets a video and audio stream from the blind persons phone. The blind person gets an audio stream from the sighted person. A conversion about the problem to be solved can now take p…

Yes, thank you. I was also wondering what kind of problems this app is solving. I'm not visually impaired so I'm probably not good at imagining real-world scenarios where this app can be useful. It sounds like a great idea and very promising.

Well: "Does my socks match" "Is this milk too old" "which of the three cans in front of me is the coconut milk" Only the imagination of the users sets the limit...

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#32

Post by TeMPOraL »

mwcampbell wrote: post #21

Nice idea, but I think it would be better if it were commercial, with the blind user paying, the sighted helper getting paid, and the app developers getting a cut. The payment could be by the minute. I think the general public will be more inclined to treat blind people as equals if we demolish the notion that blind people require charity. Addendum: Lest anyone think I'm talking out of my ass, here's a blog post from…

Upvoted, though I don't like that idea. People tend to treat differently things they do for money and things they do for non-monetary rewards. In this particular case, I'm not sure which version would be better for the blind, but I think I'd prefer to help for free.

I'm interested in further discussion. Input from actual blind people would be really helpful here.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#33

Post by TeMPOraL »

wiradikusuma wrote: post #27

Looks like a novel idea! I'm wondering what's the purpose of giving "points" to the helpers? I can't find anywhere in the website mentioning the points' purpose. It's a non-profit/charity, and (I think) people understand they won't get anything in return (other than good feeling), what's with the points? (pure curiosity)

Gamification. "Internet points" have a way to boost one's self-esteem while not perverting as much as monetary rewards do. Even though I totally want to help for free, I'd personally like to look every now and then and see how many people I've helped over time, just to boost my feelings of self-worth.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#34

Post by mwcampbell »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #32
mwcampbell wrote: post #21

Nice idea, but I think it would be better if it were commercial, with the blind user paying, the sighted helper getting paid, and the app developers getting a cut. The payment could be by the minute. I think the general public will be more inclined to treat blind people as equals if we demolish the notion that blind people require charity. Addendum: Lest anyone think I'm talking out of my ass, here's a blog post from…

Upvoted, though I don't like that idea. People tend to treat differently things they do for money and things they do for non-monetary rewards. In this particular case, I'm not sure which version would be better for the blind, but I think I'd prefer to help for free. I'm interested in further discussion. Input from actual blind people would be really helpful here.

Well, for what it's worth, I'm legally blind (I have enough sight to read a computer screen up close, but not enough to drive). And I have totally blind friends who like the idea of a paid service like this. (I personally know the guy whose blog post I referenced in the addendum to my first post.)

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#36

Post by bambax »

masukomi wrote: post #25
johlindenbaum wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't be any different than the passenger in your car telling you, like "clear right". Any resulting accident is still the driver's fault afaik.

there isn't network delay when your passenger tells you its "clear right"

Yes; also, if the person is in the car, they're risking their own life -- not so if they're hundreds of miles away.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#37

Post by saalaa »

mwcampbell wrote: post #21

Nice idea, but I think it would be better if it were commercial, with the blind user paying, the sighted helper getting paid, and the app developers getting a cut. The payment could be by the minute. I think the general public will be more inclined to treat blind people as equals if we demolish the notion that blind people require charity. Addendum: Lest anyone think I'm talking out of my ass, here's a blog post from…

Well, AFB would like to have a conversation with you.

http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/for-job-seek...

I'm all for empowering people but I doubt that given the current state of things, especially blind and visually impaired employment rate, this would be successful if it were for-profit.

If successful as a non-profit this projects can

- raise awareness

- break isolation

- practically improve lives

- push society forward (helping solve employment?)

- make everybody's life much better

I really mean it regarding "empowerment". I've worked with NGOs on remote locations and I'm all too aware of their derives but in this case I think your point makes no sense.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#38

Post by almost »

johlindenbaum wrote: post #6
joshdance wrote: post #2

This is my lack of experience, but how does a blind person launch the app and find the correct button to push? I have toyed around with the Accessibility Features on the iPhone, is there a mode that will speak out what you are tapping on?

You should try VoiceOver and the gestures that come with it, it's mind blowing how well it works. I've found plenty of usability improvements that are really easy to make so that VoiceOver works flawlessly in apps I've worked on.

A blind guy I met at a conference showed me something very cool with voiceover, try voiceover in the camera app then point the camera at some people.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#39

Post by exch »

masukomi wrote: post #25
johlindenbaum wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't be any different than the passenger in your car telling you, like "clear right". Any resulting accident is still the driver's fault afaik.

there isn't network delay when your passenger tells you its "clear right"

Not to mention the vastly better field of view and detail. Neither of which translate very well through a phone camera.

Re: Be My Eyes – Lend your eyes to the blind

#40

Post by saalaa »

johlindenbaum wrote: post #15
rlpb wrote: post #7

Are there any legal consequences if a blind person is helped crossing the street and gets hit by a car?

It wouldn't be any different than the passenger in your car telling you, like "clear right". Any resulting accident is still the driver's fault afaik.

I think it's much different from a legal standpoint. First and foremost, the driver is assumed to be fully valid and thus in no need of a blind trust (no pun intended).
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