OrCam MyEye helps me run my life and my business

With my OrCam MyEye 2.0, I am able to improve my skills as a student and as a business owner.  My name is Fitzville Martin and I am 42 years old, living in Brooklyn. Even though I have had Retinitis Pigmentosa since birth, this hasn’t stopped me from living my life as a student at BMCC and as the Owner/CEO of my own sound recording studio company, Will Power Entertainment.  The OrCam has helped me regain my independence because I do not have to ask anyone for help anymore.

I have had Retinitis Pigmentosa since birth. The biggest struggles that I have faced because of my vision loss are traveling and reading signs.  I have tried all other types of technology in the past such as the Braille Writer, Braille & Speak, Seeing A.I., Apple Voice Over, and several talking calculators and dictionaries. But they are not as good as OrCam MyEye 2.0.

I heard about the OrCam through word of mouth within the blind/visually impaired community, and I thought to myself, technology is actually working for me now! After trying the OrCam MyEye for the first time, I was truly impressed with its ability to “read,” especially the face and currency recognition (unlike, Ray Charles who doesn’t need to be paid in all ones! ?).  I am amazed with its very compact size and that it can be easily stowed.

The biggest thing that the OrCam MyEye allows me to do that I couldn’t do before is to recognize currency to pay cab fares. I do not have to worry if I am ever overpaying the cab driver. It is so relieving to know that. I use my OrCam in school to read in-class handouts and other materials the professors distribute. Another thing I use my OrCam for is to read the digital blackboard in school. PowerPoint presentations are projected on the screen from a computer, and everything is typed, not handwritten, so I can easily use the OrCam to read what is seen on the blackboard.  I also love the fact that I can read the in-class handouts instantly, without needing to go back home, scan the papers and then read what is written on them. The OrCam does it for me on the spot, in my seat of the classroom.

As I mentioned before, I am in the music industry and my passion is music. I use the OrCam to identify faders, buttons, equipment I/O and other studio related equipment. Whenever I put my finger on a button, it reads my nailbed and says what button it is for me. I have a very big mixing console in my studio, and it is hard to remember where every button is. The OrCam MyEye helps me read what each button on the sections of the board say, and I can easily hook up wires and it tells me the ins and outs of my console.

The OrCam has helped me regain my independence because I do not have to ask anyone for help anymore. I don’t need someone to read my mail to me. I don’t have to go out of my way to schedule my time around somebody to help me read something. I don’t have to wait in the classroom for someone to help me. Now, I can get my schoolwork done by myself. I can go to my studio by myself, with my OrCam and run my business. OrCam gives me access at any given moment.