News

Be My Eyes Safety Guidelines

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT wants to maximise your safety while out and about and whilst using the Be My Eyes app. Be My Eyes (including Assistance Out and About) is intended to provide visual information. In addition to the Be My Eyes Terms of Service, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT encourages users to consider the following safety aspects while accessing support through the Assistance Out and About platform:

• Users are responsible for their own safety at all times.
• Users are responsible for making their own decisions.
• Users are responsible for being aware of their surroundings and making personal judgements about situations.
• Users are recommended to use their chosen primary mobility aid (e.g. cane, Guide Dog) at all times during the interaction.
• Users are required to use their existing knowledge and skills to move safely through the environment.
• If a user requires additional knowledge or skills to move safely through the environment, they will be encouraged to link in with their relevant blindness organisation to discuss available Orientation and Mobility services.
• To minimise additional distractions that may impact safety and decision making, Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists will not engage with users during specific environments including the following:
  • while a user is completing a road crossing,
  • while a user is mobilising on stairs, or
  • while a user is boarding and alighting public transport (including trains, buses, ferries, trams, taxis).
• O&M Specialists do not have visibility of the environment around users and will not support users with decision making.
• O&M Specialists will often not be familiar with the environment you are traveling in and will be unable to support you to travel to an unknown location out of visual sight.
• O&M Specialists can provide additional visual information about the environment which may support users in their decision making.
• Due to the anonymous nature of the Be My Eyes app, O&M Specialists will not know any individual features of a user including their level of vision, whether they are using a mobility aid or their independent travel skills.
• Due to the anonymous nature of the Be My Eyes app, in an emergency, O&M Specialists will not be able to reconnect with a user or send help to the user’s location.
• There may be instances where the O&M Specialist is unable to provide adequate visual assistance. On these occasions, the O&M Specialist will attempt to support you to locate in-person assistance in your local environment (where available).
• O&M Specialists will not provide technical advice or instruction on how to use a Guide Dog.
• Users are encouraged to hold or secure their phone or glasses safely to avoid dropping or losing them.
• Users are encouraged to keep device volume at a safe level and avoid in-ear headsets to remain aware of environmental sounds (such as traffic, people, announcements, signal sounds).
• Assistance Out and About is not designed for long term use, or as a replacement for O&M service delivery.