As a charity, we are always looking for innovative ways of helping our members in their daily lives. We believe we have found a very significant way of doing this. We want every visually impaired (VI) person to feel confident in their surroundings in their everyday lives, not just when someone is there to help.
Our aim – Simple; allow a VI person to walk into a building with confidence and have access to the written word without restriction.
How – Turn the written word into human voice and provide audible information on our surroundings.
Method – An audible QR code. Welcome to ‘Hello Everyone’ QR code.
My vision is twofold. To get the ‘Hello everyone’ QR system onto every building so anyone entering knows the layout and where to find a human being; secondly, replacing the written word so every food label, every letter, every menu can be heard.
Entering a building when you are VI, quoting one of a Trustees who is a Guide Dog user, is like “bumbling around like a blind person.” No one wants to be that person; instead scanning a QR code that will give you a layout and the confidence to find a human being is all that is needed.
As a sight loss charity, we can offer these audible QR codes, ;Hello everyone’ hosted by ourselves, with unlimited scans but, most importantly, from our point of view is offering real advice on what the audio should say. Asking a sighted person, for example, to wear a blindfold to produce the script doesn’t work; I have learnt this myself, with 12% vision I tried to write the scripts but, with some residual vision, I missed some trip hazards, some orientation information and distances because I use my residual vision and I do not feel my way around, whereas with people with less sight than me than me, they need to.
We have produced this guide as a ‘Hello everyone’ QR code, please see below and try it.
Information
We can write the script, produce and host the ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes for as little as £50.00, including three years’ hosting. Once we have produced the ‘Hello Everyone’ QR code, we can change the audio file behind it without changing the actual printed ‘Hello Everyone’ QR code, allowing flexibility as environments change.
VERY IMPORTANT!
The actual ‘Hello Everyone’ QR code must be placed at five feet high from the ground on the left-hand side of the outside entrance door on the external wall. Without this consistency, the scheme will not work as the user must know where to aim their phone.
Questions and Answers
How does someone know where there is a ‘Hello Everyone’ QR code?
All Hello Everyone QR codes will be placed outside of the building 5 foot to from the ground to the left of the entrance door. All ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes on written letters and menus will be at the bottom right of the page. Any internal building ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes will be placed in logical places but their location described on the audio outside the building.
What happens if I need to change the audio?
We can change the audio behind the ‘Hello Everyone’ QR without reprinting it the actual QR code. Three changes per year are included in the price.
Can I have multiple ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes?
You can have as many as you need but do not places them next to each other. Some of our commercial building have one on the entrance then others inside to describe further information for example how to board the Hovercraft.
Can people listen again?
The ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes is a web link, you can be listen as many times as you like. It will stay on your phone or tablet until you change webpage or you can always re-scan it.
How do I scan the QR codes?
Most Smart phones will automatically scan for QR codes when you open the camera but please note
- You may need to give permission to allow QR code scanning in your settings.
- For some slightly older phones you may need to download an app to scan with instead of just using your camera. There are many apps to choose form all free to download.
Can you skip forward?
Yes, there is a sliding bar on the screen to move your finger along and skip forwards or backward. The voice over software we have tested it with allows you to use this but please tell us if yours doesn’t.
Where are ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes located?
We are working with many partners currently to install ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes as quickly as we can. Our first commercial installation was at Hovertravel at both their Ryde and Southsea terminals. As the number increases we are working on an interactive map that will pin point all ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes, the beauty is I can our Hello everyone QR code with information as this progresses.
Have we tested it?
A huge thank you to our three Visually impaired people who have been our guinea pigs testers in using the ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes, one SI, one SSI and one guide dog user.
Who writes the audios?
Someone who is visually impaired accompanied by a sighted guide visits all venues and together they write the script for the audios.
Where can I get help?
The building ‘Hello Everyone’ QR codes are written to guide you to reception or a human being, they will be able to offer help. If you need help with the author of the letter or menu contact them directly. If you need help form us never hesitate to contact us on 01983 522205.