Thank you for being a volunteer! I haven't used Be My Eyes yet, mostly because I forget I can haha, but it's so nice to know you guys are there. A lot of my local blind friends swear by your service. :)

Thanks! I use you a lot in airports. I used to spend hours a week in airports and now they are a nightmare to navigate.

I went from being top tier elite, in business class, first in and out, to being stuck waiting sometimes for hours for assistance. It's demeaning and frustrating and often dangerous, even with an airport staffer

Id rather call one of you to help me navigate and find my suitcase

At least you don't send me down an escalator, or send me into moving traffic!

And I love getting Charles in Nigeria, and having him help me navigate german airports. He's never left the country, and dealt with the devastation corona in rich countries imposed on the poor of the world by volunteering.

I'm humbled by that.

If you’re interesting in pursuing it as a career you can apply to be an Aira agent. It’s like Be My Eyes, but paid.

> Are there any other ways to volunteer for the blind?

Firstly, thank you for volunteering with Be My Eyes! These apps truly make a world of difference.

In terms of other volunteering, I think this would depend a lot on locale but honestly most in-person volunteering will come down to helping people run errands,if you're able to do that. Going to the farmer's market. Picking up that package from UPS, or the prescription from Walgreens. Going to Target with someone and looking at the laptops on display and describing what the keys are like. Helping someone pick out a pair of shoes and giving honest feedback on how they look. Walking around a new neighborhood with the person and describing the layout of the blocks and what restaurants and shops are around. Pop into their favorite bar or restaurant or store and describe the layout, take them through what it looks like. Go through their pictures or social media profiles with them and make sure everything looks appropriate. It's simple stuff like that which I would say I struggle with the most. Some people are very isolated, but even for those of us who have friends and partners, you don't want to turn them into that person who runs all your errands with you. I remember once asking a former girlfriend to hellp me navigate the Apple Store and get my phone serviced. She did so, but pointed out she was the only one I ever asked to do this type of thing with. She has a point; that's a lot of pressure to put on one person.

And for people who are newly blind or seniors it might just be checking in on them. Bringing groceries, calling them to chat once in a while, going for a walk.

I hope this helps!

I cannot say enough about Be My Eyes.

I have a huge network of friends/family who help me, but Be My Eyes is a lifesaver at 5:00 a.m..

As to other volunteer oppoortunities, check into your area's non-profits to see what is availalb.e I am in a small town near two larger cities. In my town we have a non-profit that, among other services, provides rides. This is huge, as we have no public transportation.

In the nearby larger cities. there are organizations that help the blind in a number of ways.

thanks for volunteering. It's such a fantastic service. And humbling to know there are so many people out there who just want to help for the sake of helping. Restores one's faith in humanity a little

Be My Eyes is cool, and is something that couldn't have existed twenty years ago.

Someone else suggested becoming an AIRA agent. Another possibility would be to work in accessibility. For example, if you worked in website accessibility for some large company that offers services to everybody, then ensuring the company's website remains accessible could help thousands or even tens of thousands of people regularly. You might not interact with as many blind folks, but you might make a small impact on a much larger group.