Be My Eyes – Free App To Help The Visually Impaired

What is Be My Eyes?

Be My Eyes is a unique app that caters to visually impaired people by providing sighted volunteers and company representatives to give visual assistance through the use of a live video call. 

These volunteers help lend their vision to help with the various tasks that visually impaired people may not be able to handle by themselves. It gives them the opportunity to increase their independence, giving them access to a pool of sighted volunteers that can help provide visual assistance for tasks both big or small.

Be My Eyes volunteers are carefully selected for their patience, empathy and friendliness, and they are always willing to lend a helpful pair of eyes whenever needed.

Some of examples of the type of assistance provided

1. Finding small, lost items. An extra pair of eyes can easily find that item you misplaced when you’ve just about given up all hope.
2. Art appreciation: having a colourful painting described or the finer details of a fascinating sculpture 
3. Helping you figure out if colours match in your clothing, and preventing fashion catastrophes.
4. Assistance with reading labels on medication and household products
5. Helping with reading on PC when screen readers aren’t accessible.
6. Assistance with selecting goods in supermarkets.
7. Help with figuring out use by dates on consumable goods.
8. Assistance with street names and navigation, as well as familiarisation with new locations.
9. Help with differentiating similar food items.
10. Assistance with figuring out public transport arrival and departure times.

Where to download

The app is available for both Apple and Android.

Click here to download from the Apple App Store

Click here to download from the Google Play Store

Visit the Be My Eyes Website

 

Learn more about DSA Assessments.

The post Be My Eyes – Free App To Help The Visually Impaired appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.

How Tyson Fury Overcame His Depression

World Boxing champion Tyson Fury is a man that has triumphed over both mental and physical obstacles, and he maintains that his ongoing fight with depression is the toughest battle he has been involved in over the course of his storied career.

He said in an interview “The battle I continue to fight with myself on a daily basis is the hardest opponent I’ll ever face in my life,”

As one of the more prominent voices advocating for mental health awareness, the 30-year-old is committed to spreading knowledge about mental conditions and spelling out a clear path to help for individuals who feel they may need it. Fury understands that mental illness can affect anyone of age, gender, or physical fitness, and is committed to removing the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

How did Tyson Fury overcome his depression?

Fury states that the structure in his training routine and his return to active boxing played a significant role in helping him deal with his depression.

He said in one interview…”A structured routine in life is key – having short-term and long-term goals. I advise living a healthy clean life. What good is drinking? It poisons the body. There is nothing better than getting in the gym and getting the endorphins going.”

When interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast he said “I think the way to beat mental health is setting goals, giving yourself short term and long term goals.” Further in the conversation he said “I don’t suffer from mental health when I’m active and I’ve got a goal, if you suffer from mental health problems you tend to suffer when you’re on your own and you have a lot of time to think, but when you’re busy on a daily basis you don’t have much time to think about mental health.”

What you can do if you are feeling depressed right now

Be Social

Being outgoing can significantly improve your mood. Having connections with family and friends you can turn to when your mood takes a turn for the worse is the best way to deal with depressive episodes.

Move It! Move It!

Some studies show that physical exercise can help improve your mood. It is said that Exercising releases endorphins that are scientifically proven to have a positive effect on your mood.

Structure Your Life

Depression sometimes presents as a negative spiral in which you fall into more negative habits. When you have a routine, you’re less likely to spiral. As mentioned above Tyson Fury found when he was busy day to day he didn’t have time to stew in negative thoughts.

Don’t Be Scared

Fear makes everything worse. It is understandable that you may feel like you just want to lock yourself in your room, when you’re in a low mood, but this shouldn’t prevent you from taking the most important step, and reaching out to people that can provide the assistance you need.

Cut Down On The Drinking

Alcohol may serve as a coping mechanism, and often only serves to transiently relieve the symptoms but the underlying problem still remains. Read our blog post on how alcohol affects your mental health.

Eat Healthy

Aside from the role proper nutrition plays on mental health, people who are depressed may either abstain from food and become underweight, or become indulgent and put on more weight than is healthy. Eating a healthy diet will promote a healthy mind as opposed to eating junk food and rubbish.

Jump In A Cold Shower

Another safe activity you can indulge in that releases the much sought after endorphins is the cold shower.

 

Book a DSA Assessment in Reading

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Video Blog #10 – What Is Anxiety?

In this video blog we will be giving a brief overview of Anxiety. Including it’s symptoms, how common it is and ways to alleviate any anxiety you may be facing.

For further information on the Disabled student allowance.

The post Video Blog #10 – What Is Anxiety? appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.

Why Students Don’t Claim The DSA

A 2020 mental health report published by Randstad (view here) showed results of a survey of over 1,800 students about their current state of mental wellbeing. The results of this study show a shocking deterioration of mental health among individuals in higher education. As much as 64 percent of respondents claimed that their studies and the University lifestyle has negatively affected their health.

Further analysis of the report showed that more than half of respondents had considered leaving their course but they said that access to DSA (Disabled Students’ Allowance), as well as the psychological support they received proved to be enough to convince them to stick with their studies.

A different report from the Department for Education in England, as discussed in this BBC News article revealed 60% of eligible students had never heard of Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) – That is a surprisingly high number of eligible students that aren’t aware of the existence of the DSA and how they can go about claiming benefits.

In a world where the pressure associated with higher education can tilt some students over the edge, the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) can prove to be the edge you need to see your education through.

Apart from simply not knowing the DSA exists, we have compiled below some of the other reasons that students may not apply…

Other Reasons Why Students Don’t Claim The DSA

• Students assume that they have to be registered as disabled to claim – Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be registered as disabled to claim the DSA.
• Students often have a misunderstanding of the term disabled – You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
• Thinking that other people deserve it more – Students should understand that applying for the DSA does not prevent other more deserving people from getting the help they need. Individuals who apply for the DSA are screened to ensure that the assistance is given where it is most needed, and the amount dispensed is tailored to each person.
• They don’t think it’s going to help – What support you receive is tailored specifically to your disability. Our assessors have a great deal of experience with a range of disabilities and we are confident that whatever we do recommend will make your studies a lot easier for you.
• It’s embarrassing – One of the more common reasons preventing students from applying for the DSA is the fear that it would reveal a personal issue that they’d rather keep private. The process for applying for and receiving the DSA is kept as confidential as possible, and no personal details are revealed to the university unless the applicant wishes it.

The DSA can be a lifeline when you need it the most, giving you the opportunity for success in your journey in higher education.

Book a DSA Assessment in London

Book a DSA Assessment in Reading

The post Why Students Don’t Claim The DSA appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.

Video Blog #9 – How Social Media Affects Our Mental Health

No one can deny that social media has brought numerous advantages to our lives. So, we can’t consider it generally a bad thing. However, research and everyday experience show us that social media has the power to affect our mental health and interpersonal relationships if we don’t find a healthy way to balance it. This video looks into this further.

For further information on the Disabled student allowance.

The post Video Blog #9 – How Social Media Affects Our Mental Health appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.