Home and self care products haven’t always considered “accessibility” a priority or even a possibility – until now.

Procter & Gamble has been changing everything over the past few years, by taking a stand for accessibility. Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at P&G, headed a major change in accessibility for hair care products by supporting tactile packaging on Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner bottles (You can listen to our 13 Letters Podcast episode with her here). Since many blind and low-vision individuals depend on touch to identify products, these tactile markings have made a huge impact on the usability of self care products.

This summer, we’re proud to announce the expansion of P&G brands on Specialized Help. It’s a partnership that will not only help our users more at home, but allow the blind and low-vision community to give direct feedback that will help inform P&G’s accessibility improvements in the future.

P&G are bringing many more of their products onboard Be My Eyes Specialized Help to provide live video support for users of the app. Users will be able to connect with representatives from companies like Bounty paper towels, Tide laundry detergent, and Old Spice shaving cream for tips and tricks on getting the house clean, the laundry done and so much more – all courtesy of P&G’s home care experts.

So you may be asking: why would anyone want to call a paper towel company or a laundry detergent company? Everyday, people use Be My Eyes for help with cleaning, cooking and getting ready for the day, and despite the fact that soap, paper goods and personal products might seem easy to use, there’s a ton of great information to be shared about how to use them and how to be confident in your home care routine. For example, when cleaning a shower, it’s best to clean from top to bottom. Or perhaps how a bit of Dawn dish detergent, when mixed with water, can make for a potent insecticide to keep aphids out of the garden.

By connecting with a P&G expert we hope that our users who need visual assistance can get the best out of their home and self care products. This partnership is not only a huge win for accessibility, but also for our users who may not have been using products to their full potential due to inaccessibility. And when you call P&G for #HelpAtHome, you are giving them valuable feedback about how to make their products more accessible for the future. So get creative, give P&G a call, and let’s make this the freshest summer yet!

Curious about how to make your product accessible to those in need of visual assistance? We would love to start a conversation!