Building Blind and Low-Vision Community with Will Butler [IEP 158]

Our guest today is Will Butler, Vice-President of Community of the Be My Eyes app. If you haven’t heard of this app yet, we think that you’re going to be blown away when you learn how a small act of kindness can have such a big impact in the lives of blind and low-vision people. Listen in to learn more about this app, the people behind it, who it reaches, and how it stretches across a global community with a bold, yet simple, mission in mind. We hope you come away with the same sense of “wow” as we did! Show Highlights: Will shares the compelling beginnings of the Be My Eyes app., which launched in January 2015. Overnight, more than 10,000 people signed up to volunteer. Today, there are 4.5 million volunteers supporting about 300,000 blind and low-vision people in 185 languages. Most calls only average 2-3 minutes. Will explains the simple process of signing up to volunteer and what an actual call is like from a volunteer’s perspective. Will describes users of the app, which extends far beyond what we think of as blind and low-vision people. Most of the people with disabilities in this world do not identify as disabled, so when it comes to inclusion, accessibility, and making progress, that can be a big hurdle. “Be My Eyes for Work” is the latest software feature. Connection times over the last six years has been one of the biggest challenges. That time is now down to an average of 30 seconds for every language. In the English language, connection time is down to around seven seconds! If you work at a company that wants to support the blind community in a greater way, partner with Be My Eyes, the biggest blind community in the world. These partnerships keep the app free and unlimited for the 4.5 million volunteers!   Connect with Will! Visit Be My Eyes - To download apps, check out their social media pages, read their blog, read community stories, and more! Partner with Be My Eyes to help your customers, employees, and stakeholders who require visual assistance. Links/Resources: Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show. Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns: Facebook Instagram Twitter IEP website This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matters, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.