Godwin smiling to the camera. He's wearing suit and sunglasses and is holding a black briefcase.
Community story, An Engineer’s Companion

An Engineer’s Companion

Godwin, Accra, Ghana, blind

Godwin is an engineer from Accra, Ghana. He lost his sight to a retina problem years ago, but with a keen eye for functionality, Godwin found his way around assistive technology in no time. At first, Godwin used screen readers and assistive apps on his iPhone at both his job and in his home life. But as soon as he caught word of Be My Eyes in 2015, the app became his new go-to.

I used a lot of applications. Applications like Be My Eyes are excellent - very easy to use. And I tell you, the people are so wonderful, so willing to assist.

Godwin finds Be My Eyes fascinating because of its range of uses. He pulls out the app for simple queries like making sure his lights are on and really appreciates the torch feature in cases like these. “I’m so fascinated about the torch feature. Most of the time, you don’t know whether the light is turned on —for me I’m totally blind, so if I’m asking for something, the volunteer just says ‘I cannot see, it’s dark’ [so] I put on my torch.” Godwin also uses Be My Eyes to check his blood pressure every morning, to restart his computer or to fix his Wi-Fi modem. But sometimes he uses the app in more demanding situations like when he guest-lectures. “I use the iPhone very well -- I can even teach on it” he shares, “Recently in one of the universities, where I was invited as a resource person, I did a demonstration with Be My Eyes [to determine] the color of my tie and I got an answer. The students were really amazed.”

Moreover the app has impacted my life in a great way, this app is a companion. I am confident that I always have someone who can look at the things I want to see.