Tag: app

Be My Eyes

Eyes
Photo by Dboybaker

“A blind person is calling you.”

The notification popped up and I raced to unlock my phone and answer the call. The calls don’t come that often and there are hundreds of thousands of people like me waiting to help, so if we don’t answer quick they move on to the next volunteer.

I answered the call and was greeted with a live video of of multi-colored gaming dice, the kind you find playing Dungeons & Dragons or other RPGs (role playing games). I immediately got excited. A deep voice asked, “Are these green dice?” as a hand picked up some of the dice. “No,” I replied, “the green ones are a bit to the left.” They dropped the dice and moved their hand to the left, passing over piles of different colored dice until I told them to stop. They picked up some of the dice directly below and asked if those were the green ones with the purple numbers. I asked if they could pull the dice away from the camera a little so it could focus better so I could see the numbers. They did and I was able to tell they were purple numbers on green swirled dice. The caller was very happy and put the handful of dice into a white box that contained 6 little black boxes. They informed me they were heading out to a game and wanted those particular dice for the game.

The app is called “Be My Eyes” and it connects people who are blind or visually impaired to seeing people who can help them find what they are looking for. If you want to be a seeing volunteer (like me) download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store and register as a volunteer and then wait for a call. Like I mentioned before, there are thousands and thousands of us waiting to take calls. That is a wonderful thing for the callers because if a volunteer doesn’t answer in just a few seconds the call will roll to another volunteer until someone picks up. A caller may be in a time crunch and need help pretty quickly, so I appreciate that the app doesn’t waste time waiting too long for volunteers to pick up.

I’ve taken three calls so far in the few years that I’ve had the app. I’ve helped a woman put together her perfect job interview outfit (she knew what she wanted to wear she just needed my help finding a particular colored skirt in her closet), helped another woman get around in a place she was unfamiliar with (describing the room she was in) and today’s call. Today’s was by far my favorite: a fellow gamer who was happy to show me his dice collection once I shared that I was a newbie gamer myself.

I have no idea what it’s like to be deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired, but I am trying hard to understand by learning American Sign Language and more about blind and deaf culture. Degenerative eye disease and hearing loss run in my family, so I’m sure I’ll get firsthand experience with them soon enough. But for now I am absolutely content learning and helping on the sidelines and being an ally wherever I can.

Click here to get more information about the Be My Eyes app.
Click here to get more information about ASL classes from Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.

Love? I’ve Got an App for That

It was a chilly November night in Birmingham, Alabama. We had been following each other for a few weeks and it was time to come face to face. As I sat at the bar with friends, laughing at the quip our bartender had just shared, movement across the street caught my eye through the restaurant’s front window. There he was. I recognized him from his picture and our chance encounter a week earlier. He waited patiently for the signal and sauntered across the street seemingly without a care in the world. As he stepped through the door, his electric eyes caught mine and I was bitten.

That’s the way I like to tell the story of meeting my husband on Twitter. That’s right, Twitter. I remember the days when it was taboo to meet someone online for the possibility of a date. It’s still not as widely accepted as meeting someone at a party, in a bar, church, or other natural setting, but it’s far more common than 10 years ago. Granted, we always have to be careful about who we talk to and especially who we meet, but there are some good safety tips out there to help you when you cross that bridge.

I used numerous online dating sites throughout my single years. I’ve never been one to shy away from technology and tended to throw caution to the wind whenever it came to making new friends. That’s not always the smart thing to do, but it afforded me a lot of experience figuring out what does and doesn’t work online. You wouldn’t believe how “careful” I have been over the years, setting up fake email addresses, never using my real name, fibbing about my age a bit, and never putting my true zip code. All of these things were safety precautions I took to ensure that if I did meet someone who started stalking me online, they wouldn’t get very far.

As I matured, I surrounded myself with people and places that were well populated and lit so I could relax a little bit when meeting an online friend IRL (“in real life” for those of you new to the language). So when I first spotted Daniel’s Twitter profile on a mutual friend’s timeline, I was immediately intrigued. The bright red fez on his head struck a humorous chord with me and I had to find out more, even though his profile picture was oh-so-small. Click. “Follow.” I am following Fez Boy on Twitter. Now we sit back and watch. Ding! He followed me back. Ack! What? What do I say now? What do I do? How do I get to know him better AND impress him from afar via Twitter?

We spent the next few days interacting a little on Twitter, but mostly continued messaging with our other friends. That week, I attended a local improv comedy show with a friend. I noticed a guy sitting by himself at the table behind us, in the corner. Hmmm, creeper. (That was my go-to line back then for anyone sitting by themselves in a corner at a show. I was horrible!) During intermission, I went to the bar to get a drink. Creeper was in line behind me. I didn’t notice him until I got my drink and walked around the side of the bar to talk to friends. Wow, Creeper is kind of cute. I would totally go out on a date with him. Do I go introduce myself? Not being the shy type AT ALL, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it for some reason. I was suddenly painfully unsure of myself. What? Who is this girl? Creeper got his drink and walked back inside to watch the rest of the show. Drats! As the show resumed I kept a discreet eye on Creeper without being obvious. He’s got a great smile. I snuck another glance at the end of the show and POOF! He was gone. Noooooooooooooo!

The next day Fez Boy (Remember him? From Twitter?) mentioned online the improv show he attended last night. What? Could it be? No way! I asked Fez Boy where he was sitting. He said in the back. I asked if it was the back right corner at a table by himself? Now who’s the creeper, Sherri? He confirmed my guess – CREEPER IS FEZ BOY! I was thisclose to him the night before and chickened out. I can’t believe it. But I was also giddy that we have the same taste and glad I found him to be very cute in person.

This is a sign. I must meet him now. I planned a casual group dinner at a favorite local restaurant for anyone that wanted to come and put out the call on Twitter. I made sure Mutual Friend was able to come and crossed my fingers that Fez Boy would make an appearance. He came. He crossed the street, came into the restaurant, and I fell instantly.

Twitter is a great tool for professional and personal networking. It’s easy to find like-minded people for social events, causes, business referrals, references, and everything in between. And you might even find your soul mate on there like I did. Looking for love for love? I’ve got an app for that.