At the age of 25, Hans Jørgen Wiberg began losing his sight. He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes a loss of cells in the retina. When he went grocery shopping, his struggle started becoming obvious. Unable to see the expiry dates of food became a regular difficulty. What Wiberg needed was a helping hand – or rather, a pair of eyes.
Harnessing the potential of technology, Wiberg designed Be My Eyes, a free mobile app that pairs visually impaired people with a volunteer helper. Participants sign up and are notified as soon as someone requires their support. Through live video calls, helpers are able to assist people with poor vision to tackle their needs, whether it’s hanging pictures on the wall or navigating bustling city streets.
Today, the app has millions of volunteers and 220 000 users in over 180 different languages. With this global community at their disposal, visually impaired people gain renewed self-sufficiency and independence. “To see that this app connects people, and people get their problems solved, that's a wonderful feeling,” Wiberg says. His simple yet innovative concept is reshaping the world into a more inclusive place.
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