Microsoft Partners With Be My Eyes to Offer Specialized Help to its Blind and Low Vision customers Via Live Video Chat

Be My Eyes, the popular iOS and Android app that connects blind and low vision users with sighted volunteers for assistance via live video chat, has today launched an exciting new feature for users needing specialized or technical help.

Following today's update to the Be My Eyes app, users will find a new menu option on the app's main screen titled “Specialized Help”.

In its announcement of this new feature Be My Eyes stated that this is a response to the growing number of technology-related requests to volunteers.

Be My Eyes has taken careful note of these kinds of calls and wondered if representatives from the given company itself would be best suited to assist in these scenarios. Contacting customer support through email or by phone isn’t always ideal. Direct communication with a business’s customer support agent could be a vision-friendly alternative and less time consuming for users. If someone from the company could see the issue in real time, issues with their products or service could be resolved more efficiently.

The first company to partner with Be My Eyes is Microsoft:

Microsoft is the first company to be highlighted in Specialized Help, offering Be My Eyes customers a direct connection to receive technical assistance from the Disability Answer Desk, a free consumer service for Microsoft’s customers with disabilities.

The app will work the same, connecting customers through video; but instead of reaching out to volunteers, customers will work directly with a member of the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk to get support on questions about their Microsoft product or service.

This feature is currently limited to users in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.

Be My Eyes states that “more companies from a variety of fields will join Specialized Help soon.” We are sure that many on here will be hoping that Apple's Accessibility Team will be one of these.

The Be My Eyes app is a free download from the App Store.

Post a comment to let us know what you think of this new feature; your experience if you use it; and which companies you hope to see added in the future.