You're listening to a Community Story from Be My Eyes. I am Mohammad Junaid. I belong from Pakistan.

I am currently a master's student majoring in international relations. I have completed my bachelor's in 1994 and I scored the CGPA of 3.8 out of 4.0. And I had the honor of studying for one semester at the Grand Valley State University in the United States. There were 60 students selected from all over Pakistan and I was the only student with a disability.

So I studied there, I got experience and I scored the GPA of 4.0 there. The United States was a completely different destination for me. First of all, the accessibility arrangement was up to the mark.

Specifically, they have made all such arrangements for all kinds of persons with disabilities. For instance, if I boarded a bus, it was always touching, the floor of the bus was always equal to the sidewalk. So anyone, if they are on wheelchair or if they are walking with a white cane, they could easily walk in.

And there were audio announcements on every destination. There were Braille symbols outside the rooms, classrooms and apartment rooms. And then there was this accessibility department which assisted a lot.

Preferably, they helped me get the transcribed or tactile maps and all that was magnificent. In Pakistan, people are very kind and they are very supportive towards the persons with disability. But sometimes the accessibility arrangements are not that great.

For instance, in the classroom, we still attempt exams with a scribe. I put three applications requesting that I should be allowed to attempt the exam with my laptop, but it wasn't accepted. But when it comes to United States, they actually made all those arrangements.

I attempted my exams using my laptop and it was very nice. I was completing exams very quickly even before the sighted students. So these things and also the accessibility arrangements I explained earlier, they sometimes are not available in here.

Like in elevators, there were accessible Braille labels which I could access and I could go to any floor of my choice. It was, I think, in 2020 when I came to know Be My Eyes from a Facebook page, I think. And I downloaded the app and at that time, it allowed us to connect with a volunteer who would help us in the task we are having difficulty.

So the first time I died of cold, I had to read a document and that person helped me read that. And the magnificent thing was that that person also belonged from Pakistan. So what motivated me more was that Be My Eyes had volunteers from different parts of the world who could speak different languages, not just English.

And then I kept using it when I was in the United States. If I was wearing some dress, I would dial a call and I asked them if it fits well. And then a couple of years ago, Be My Eyes enrollment started.

And I just, when they announced that the beta version enrollments are out, I just applied for it. And I was looking every day whether I've been granted the permission to use it. And when it arrived, I was very happy.

And in the last two years, I've been taking photos of different kinds of nature elements like flowers and plants. And I'm loving that. I just take a picture and align the camera before taking it.

And then I ask Be My Eye to explain whether it's been taken correctly and whether I need some improvement. And the way it describes, it's very much impressive. When we ask the sighted people for explanation, we might be hesitant asking them questions whether a picture is good, whether the lighting is good.

But with Be My Eye, you can ask it anything. And it keeps that private between it and a person who is asking the question. So when I take a picture of a flower, I just ask, analyze this picture as a professional photographer and tell me what things are to be fixed.

So I can take another picture and then we will see if I have brought improvements. So it tells me and I've posted some pictures on my Facebook and they come out decent. Sighted people say they come out decent.

So it is an amazing tool. Everyone should be using it. When it comes to, I think, dresses, like if I'm wearing a dress, Be My Eye might tell me that it's good.

But then if I want to be pretty sure about it, I would just dial a call to them and I would ask them if my clothes have been ironed well. And I found out that the description Be My Eye provided earlier was accurate and up to the mark. So for just clearing myself and for just like a second view, I would dial a call to the sighted volunteer and they're always very helpful.

Be My Eye and Be My Eye's volunteer service, where they allow us to call them, is magnificent in a way that they are with you wherever you have your phone with you and they can assist you in tasks you have difficulty in completing. And they are always around when you need help because you have your phone with it. So one app that is Be My Eye and Be My Eyes, it can help you feel independent.

I am truly grateful to the work you people are doing. In your busy routine, you pick a call from a random person and you help them and you make them feel independent and happy. So that is very nice of you.

I truly appreciate it. Thank you for listening to this Community Story from Be My Eyes. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, download our app, or visit BeMyEyes.com for more.