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In 1950 Dr. Arnold Cook, a young blind man studying abroad in London, returned to his home inAustralia. He brought his Guide Dog named Dreena, the first in the entire continent, along with him. A trailblazer for blind Australians, Cook and Dreena were not alone for long, and by 1957 there were Guide Dogs Associations in each of Australia’s states and territories.
Nearly 70 years later, Guide Dogs Australia is carrying on Dr. Cook’s legacy by becoming the first Australia-based organization to provide live video support through Be My Eyes.
Guide Dogs Australia delivers essential services to children, teenagers, adults, and older Australians who are blind or have low vision in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
As a Be My Eyes Specialized Help provider, Guide Dogs Australia provide assistance to any and all Australians struggling with their vision. All Be My Eyes calls placed to Guide Dogs Australia will be directed to their team in Brisbane; from there, callers can have their information and requests forwarded to their local Guide Dogs Australia chapter for follow up.
Services provided by Guide Dogs Australia include:
“Most people know us for our Guide Dogs, but very few know that we offer a wide range of services,” says Jock Beveridge, Guide Dogs Queensland General Manager. “Whether a caller needs instant answers about our services or future help learning new assistive technologies, practical tips for daily living, or would like to talk to someone about how to deal with vision loss, we can get their details and put them in touch with the right people within Guide Dogs who can help them.”
In addition to becoming the first Australian-based organization to join Be My Eyes, Guide Dogs Australia is also the first company to address customer needs using Be My Eyes’ software integration with Genesys Cloud CX™. Genesys is a global leader in cloud-based customer experience, and has worked closely with Be My Eyes since 2021 to help global brands better understand and serve their blind and low vision customers.
"At Genesys, we are extremely proud to serve as a partner with Be My Eyes and Guide Dogs Australia,” said Natalie Petouhoff, Sr. Strategic Business Consultant Director. “It’s our mission to design customer engagement solutions that expand the accessibility of customer service for everyone, and the integration of our Genesys Cloud CX solution with Be My Eyes is an important step in that direction.”
Guide Dogs Australia will be available for Australians on Be My Eyes Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM AEST. They can provide instant answers about their services and direct your enquiries to the relevant states if required.
If you have any questions about Guide Dogs Australia services, need help using visual assistive technology, or would like to book a call with a Guide Dogs Australia professional, please visit guidedogs.com.au or call +07 3500 9060.
