As P&G steps up to support communities around the world, we want to be as inclusive as possible. This is why we, together with our NGO and broadcast partners for the special COVID-19 Relief events Global Citizen: One World Together and BET Saving Our Selves, joined forces with Be My Eyes - a unique platform which connects sighted volunteers with the blind and low-vision community to help navigate everyday life.
Millions of people around the world have tuned in to watch televised events, including Global Citizen’s “One World: #TogetherAtHome” and BET’s “Saving OurSelves” with multiple performers singing and entertaining from their homes that are part of the global coronavirus relief efforts.
Thanks to passionate P&G colleagues who volunteered to provide personalized live audio description, people with low and no vision were able to follow and enjoy these special events using the Be My Eyes app. P&G volunteers were on call during both events, ready to describe anything users wanted to know about the event. They read the lineup, helped access streams and content and answered questions about what was going on in the broadcast.
Global Citizen’s “One World: #TogetherAtHome” was an eight-hour event featuring musical performances from artists around the globe, streamed online and broadcast on network television. Our colleagues stayed on the line for the entire event to share personalized audio description – helping people from 15 countries around the world.
“There were over 10 volunteers assisting me through the 8-hour concert,” one of the Be My Eyes users said. “Describing from the first opening songs to the last which were both tearful moments of joy and connection for me! Almost like a virtual family in my home. The best night out ‘in.’”
Another participant said this effort was “the difference between inclusion and exclusion.”
“It was wonderful to be able to experience the One World concert using Be My Eyes and having terrific audio description of what the musicians were wearing, what their homes looked like, what type of art they had on the walls and really any detail I was interested in,” they said. “It made the experience so much richer than just listening to it. This concept of having things audio described makes individuals who are blind able to be included and participate in the same ways their sighted friends and family can.”
Similarly, P&G employees volunteered for the BET “Saving OurSelves” event supporting the United Way that was broadcast in North America on BET and streamed on YouTube, featuring musical performances, comedic acts and messages of hope and inspiration. Our employees remarked that experiencing the show in this different way was “an amazing experience.”
“This was my first-time volunteering with BME,” one of our volunteers said. “I have to say I really enjoyed being given such an easy opportunity to volunteer from the comfort of home. It even turned into a competition between myself and other P&Gers for who could answer the most calls! Glad to have jumped on the wagon and will continue to be a volunteer for life.”
Perhaps most importantly, the volunteers experienced the world in a different way that gave them “a lot of insight into the daily lives of people who are blind and low vision.”
“It helped me realize that I still have so much to learn as an ally of people with disabilities,” an employee-volunteer said.
This partnership is one example of how our employees are stepping up as a force for good. We believe there is always a better, more innovative way to create a more inclusive environment for all of us. The more accessible the world can be through inclusive products, packaging, advertising and environments, the less people will feel disabled. As a company committed to being a “force for good and a force for growth” in the world, we’re focused on creating superior experiences with our brands, products and communication that are accessible by everyone.
