Leo is an artist from Turkey. In Bosnia, where he lives, he works as a graphic designer and photographer. A good friend of Leo’s is blind, and one day mentioned an app that captured Leo’s attention and compelled him to see things differently. Like many volunteers in the community, upon hearing about Be My Eyes, Leo signed up immediately. Leo’s understanding of blindness and sentiments towards his experience of the app, however, is unique.
You understand very well, it is not a disability. It’s completely a functional diversity. The things that they can see, I mean perception, it’s something different that we can’t see. What’s the normality, or what’s the disability in this case?
Many Be My Eyes volunteers share stories about learning from the blind and low vision people whom they connect with or say they feel inspired and proud to get to help another person. Leo sees things more simply. For Leo, dedicating a some time volunteering on the app isn’t simply about helping another person, but rather making a special connection. As he puts it, “Providing help may be … not exactly what I would say but sharing that moment … We are just human so I don’t wanna say ‘Oh, it’s really good sharing! Making! Helping!’ It’s not that deal ”. Instead, teaming up with someone to tackle a problem, solve an issue, or just to offer an alternative perspective is what Leo calls “a good challenge”.
The point is sharing, in that moment, his or her problem for just resolving it. So it’s not just about helping, but maybe about completely sharing something.
