Be My Eyes, A Global Platform for Visual Assistance and Inclusion

Ben Schmidt on 22 October 2025

A global accessibility platform that empowers blind and low-vision people through real-time visual assistance

Be My Eyes is an accessibility platform that connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers and professional partners through live video calls. Using a free mobile app, users can request instant visual assistance for everyday tasks such as reading labels, navigating spaces, or identifying objects. A volunteer on the other end of the call sees through the user’s phone camera and provides real-time guidance, helping bridge the gap between visual information and fostering independent living.

Since its launch in 2015, Be My Eyes has built a vast, supportive community that harnesses technology to create meaningful human connections. The platform is free, and anonymous and its design is simple, ensuring users can receive help quickly and privately whenever needed.

Beyond volunteer assistance, Be My Eyes also partners with companies and organizations to enhance accessibility in workplaces and customer support. Through its Be My Eyes for Business and Be My Eyes for Work programs, the service allows employees and customers who are blind or have low vision to interact, via accessible video tools, directly with trained support agents . In 2023, the organization expanded its reach with Be My AI, an artificial intelligence assistant developed in collaboration with OpenAI, which provides instant, context-aware visual descriptions when human volunteers are unavailable.

Be My Eyes represents a transformative approach to inclusion, merging empathy, innovation, and global collaboration to make the world more accessible for all.

Characteristics of innovation

Bank of innovations, Disability, Independent living, Innovative organization, New technological tool, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Location

Denmark (operates Worldwide)

Partners/ Founders

Global network of volunteers and donors, OpenAI

Genesis

Be My Eyes was founded in 2015 by Hans Jørgen Wiberg, a visually impaired Danish craftsman who envisioned using smartphone technology to connect blind people with sighted volunteers for everyday visual assistance. His idea quickly evolved into a global platform.

Implementation level

Be My Eyes operates in more than 150 countries and 180 languages, connecting over 900,000 blind and low-vision users with approximately 9 million volunteers. The platform has achieved wide global adoption and is recognized for its integration of AI-based tools that complement volunteer support.

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