Did You Know? Be My Eyes Groups

While our volunteers are wonderful, there are times when calling a stranger can feel overwhelming or like you’re being too familiar with someone you don’t know. There are questions better answered by people you already trust.

There’s an answer to that. In case you’ve missed it, Be My Eyes has a group feature.

Along with calling one of our over 10 million volunteers, you also have the option of calling people you know. You can have other blind and low vision people in the same group with you, in case there are several who are in your same social circles.

What to know

• There can be up to 20 people per group
• A group can have a mix of blind, low vision, and sighted members
• When a blind or low vision person calls a group, the call only goes to sighted volunteers
• You can create up to five groups

That structure lets you split things naturally. Family, friends, work, or whatever makes sense for you.

How to create a group

1. Go to the Get Support tab
2. Select Groups
3. Select Manage Groups
4. Choose Create Group
5. Add people and send them an invite link

How to make a call

You can call your group in a similar way to how you would call a volunteer. In the Get Support tab, hit “Groups,” then the group you’d like to call.

If you are using smart glasses like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses or Oakley Meta smart glasses, you can do it hands-free. For example, if your group is called “Family,” just say:

“Hey Meta, call Family with Be My Eyes.”

When to use a group instead of a volunteer

Use a group when context matters. If someone already knows your home, your setup, or what you are trying to do, you will spend less time explaining and more time getting an answer. It can also feel more comfortable for questions that are a bit more personal or specific.

Volunteers are still there. This just gives you another option when a familiar voice makes more sense.