OrCam in the Office: How the OrCam MyEye helps an employee help others

Bill Adams was just getting settled into his office when we called him. As a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, it is Bill’s job to teach Veterans coping with vision loss how to use white canes and get around in the city. He has been working for the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Birmingham, Alabama for the past four and a half years.

Bill started to lose his vision 11 years ago due to albinism and a brain injury. Like others who cope with vision loss, daily tasks can be challenging for Bill especially in the office.

Almost two years ago, Bill received an OrCam MyEye. “It has made my life so much easier” Bill says “especially at work.” Bill does a lot of clerical work for his job. When his boss hands him a document that he needs to read he used to have to walk back to his computer and scan it in. With the OrCam MyEye, Bill can read any document that his boss hands him right there on the spot. “I used to have to bring it to my office, scan it into the computer, run OCR using Adobe and then have to use a bunch of key commands to have Window Eyes read it to me, now it is simply a press of the trigger button on my hip.”

Along with reading documents, the OrCam device helps Bill train Veterans to use their white canes. One of the goals during training is to teach the Veterans how to get around in the streets. Bill gives them an address and tells them to go find that place or street. Having the OrCam device allows Bill to double check the street name to make sure the Veteran ended up in the right place. “This is a big plus” says Bill. The face recognition feature is also a big help to Bill as he can identify who is in front of him or speaking to him in the office, he also believes it makes him more social.

In addition to the benefit the OrCam MyEye has for Bill at work, being able to read menus and his mail is also a huge plus for Bill.

Bill has recommended the OrCam MyEye to people who need assistance with certain tasks at work. OrCam has made Bill’s life and job easier and will continue to help him help others cope with their vision loss more effectively.