Lakeside Conversation 2026: Huawei's "Eight-Year Long March" for Accessibility
Author: Ma Guangyu Date: 2026-06-18 14:56 Introduction: Technology is becoming the most reliable blind cane.
Hans is a visually impaired person from Denmark. In 2012, he worked at a public service agency for the visually impaired. The most frequent requests for help from visually impaired people: a medicine bottle, a bill, a bus stop sign—things that ordinary people can handle at a glance, but for them are barriers requiring assistance from others.
Hans thought: What if every sighted person in the world could instantly become the "eyes" of a visually impaired person?
In 2015, he founded Be My Eyes. A very simple mechanism: visually impaired users turn on their camera and initiate a video call to volunteers around the world. The volunteer sees what the user sees and tells them, "There are steps ahead," "The medicine bottle says twice a day," "The bus stop sign shows the bus departs in 15 minutes."
Nine years later, the platform has gathered over 1 million visually impaired and low-vision users and 10 million volunteers worldwide. 10 million people—roughly 1.7 times the population of Denmark. Someone in New York at 3 a.m. helps a visually impaired user in Berlin identify the oven temperature; someone in Tokyo during lunch break helps a visually impaired user in Mexico read a courier number.
Now, Be My Eyes is available on Huawei AppGallery, becoming part of the HarmonyOS ecosystem.
Huawei has always had its own persistence in the field of accessibility. To date, Huawei has provided services to over 8 million users with disabilities, giving them new opportunities to "experience the world."
He Yajun. A completely blind runner, running for 13 years, over 100 marathons, total distance over 30,000 kilometers, and has climbed 45 famous mountains. He told Leiphone: "In the past, I couldn't see the world, so I let the beautiful world see me. Now, I can see the beautiful world."
What made him "see" is the "Xiaoyi See the World" feature on Huawei's AI glasses.
On the bus, AI tells him "what color and where." To find the subway entrance, he used to rely on warm air in winter and cool air in summer; now he can ask and know "how far to the nearest subway entrance." When running, AI tells him "there's a slope ahead, what color the track is, who is ahead." In the park, "there's a small bridge across, with a weeping willow swaying in the wind beside the bridge."
The most classic scene was in the subway. He Yajun asked, "What's ahead?". AI replied: "There's a beautiful woman ahead, tall and slender, carrying a blue backpack, wearing a polo shirt, walking toward you."
From the screen reading feature launched in 2017 to today's Xiaoyi Voice Repair, Xiaoyi See the World, FreeBuds Pro 5 hearing test, Watch Vitality Three Ring Wheelchair Mode, Huawei has come a long way in eight years.
AI is redefining the boundaries of "accessibility." Technology should "suit" everyone.
From Blind Cane to AI
Li Qingzhong, President of the China Blind Persons Association, recalled at the Lakeside Conversation: "Looking back, blind people mainly relied on canes and tactile paving for travel, and reading depended on hands and Braille. Tactile paving was not widespread or standardized, so the cost of going out was very high."
That was before the first leap. A blind cane and a stretch of tactile paving formed the entire connection between visually impaired people and the world.
The effective range of a blind cane is about two meters ahead. The coverage of tactile paving depends on the completeness of municipal construction. In China before 2000, many cities didn't even have tactile paving. Even where they existed, they were often occupied by shared bikes, electric scooters, and debris. The preparations visually impaired people had to make before going out were far more complicated than ordinary people imagined: confirming the route, whether the destination had accessible passages, and whether there was someone to ask for help.
Then came the second leap—the smartphone era. Li Qingzhong said, "Today, computers and smartphones have become standard tools for blind friends in work and daily life, greatly expanding the boundaries of information access and interaction."
In 2009, Apple introduced VoiceOver on the iPhone 3GS. It was the first screen reading function built into a mainstream smartphone. Visually impaired users could touch the screen and hear the content of each icon and each text. Subsequently, Google launched TalkBack on Android, and Microsoft launched Narrator.
The Chinese market also followed. Huawei's screen reading feature, started in 2017, was precisely at the starting point of this era. Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and other manufacturers later introduced their own screen reading solutions.
Things that were once unimaginable—taking a taxi, taking the subway, reading online, managing finances—can now be done through a smartphone. For the first time, visually impaired users had the same information access capabilities as ordinary people. But the second leap also had its boundaries. Screen reading can tell you "what this is," but not "what's ahead." It solves information interaction accessibility, not spatial perception accessibility.
Now, with the impact of the AI wave, a third leap is taking place.
He Yajun described a detail: "In winter, I used to find the subway entrance by the temperature. Warm air rises in winter, cool air in summer; when I felt the change, I knew I had arrived."
Not anymore. Wearing AI glasses, asking "Is there a subway entrance ahead?" AI tells him "there's a subway entrance some distance ahead." From blind cane to smartphone, from smartphone to AI glasses, each leap compresses the distance from "nearby" to "far away."
First came physical infrastructure, then software adaptation, and now AI-native capabilities. The first two were "filling gaps," allowing people with disabilities to accomplish basic tasks. The third is "opening new frontiers," giving people with disabilities abilities they never had before.
Global tech giants also have different approaches in this round. Apple's VoiceOver remains the industry benchmark, but mainly stays at the screen interaction level. Google's Lookout app attempts AI visual assistance, but its functionality and ecosystem coverage are limited. Huawei's path is more aggressive: from phones to glasses to earphones to watches, using the "1+8+N" full-scenario strategy to cover different types of disabilities.
Accessibility is evolving from a "single feature" to a "system capability."
365 Days of a Completely Blind Runner "Seeing" the World
He Yajun said he used to run "head down, just go." He could only feel how cold winter was and how hot summer was.
Completely blind for 13 years, over 100 marathons, total distance over 30,000 kilometers, climbing 45 famous mountains. Such an exercise volume is rare even among able-bodied people. But what truly made him happy was the moment of "seeing."
"Standing at the botanical garden in Xiangshan, it tells you what flower this is, what color, how tall—all can be clearly seen." What excited He Yajun most was "seeing" the details of people.
"Standing at the door, I often watch the parking lot. It clearly tells me what color the car is parked at the entrance, whether it's a new energy car, an SUV, or a sedan, and even the license plate number."
In the subway, He Yajun asked, "What's ahead?" AI replied: "There's a beautiful woman ahead, tall and slender, carrying a blue backpack, wearing a polo shirt, walking toward you."
He Yajun shared this experience with other blind friends, and everyone found it "interesting and incredible." He said, "For a completely blind person to have this kind of fun when going out is the biggest surprise."
He Yajun also discovered more uses for the AI glasses. When he goes to the supermarket to buy apples, carrots, etc., AI can clearly tell him what they are. Although the identification isn't very detailed among a pile of vegetables, it's much better than before. He stands at a shop entrance to record a video, first asks "what's ahead," then moves left or right a bit; when facing the shop sign, AI tells him the words on the sign, "not exactly the same, but close enough."
On a recent trip to Hubei, AI told him, "There's a particularly big cat, over two meters tall." He asked his son, who confirmed, "Yes, and it's fluffy." He Yajun said, "This information is something family members can't provide. My son takes care of me in great detail, but he can't describe it as thoroughly as AI."
He Yajun currently has two remaining concerns: battery life and continuous recognition. He said, "When walking on the street, I always carry two phones with charging cables, ready to plug in." He hopes for a "continuous broadcast" mode in the future, where he doesn't need to ask a question each time; instead, AI continuously describes the surroundings, "like a tour guide—whatever I want to know, I ask instantly, and it tells me."
He Yajun still wants to climb 100 famous mountains. He has already climbed 45; next, he will take on Xinjiang and more mountains. He said, "Technology is leading blind people to see a better future. We are not just being heard; we will also see, and understand the world in another way."
Besides He Yajun, other users with disabilities also have equally exciting stories.
Mao Mao, a hearing-impaired blogger, has been unable to hear since birth. She used to "just nod or shake my head to get things over with, and didn't even dare to travel alone." With hearing aids and translation, "my physical boundaries opened up," and she started traveling alone on business and for leisure. She runs her own social media, with 160,000 followers across platforms, aiming to popularize knowledge about hearing impairment and break the stereotype that "hearing-impaired people can't speak and only use sign language."
Wang Danding, a physically disabled entrepreneur, born in the 1990s, lost her entire right forearm in an accident at age 5. She later changed her name to "Wang Danding" (meaning calm) to encourage herself. She found a "little happiness" in AI glasses: with only one hand, it's hard to record interactions with her cat from a first-person perspective. Now, AI glasses do what she couldn't, "capturing many beautiful moments in time." She also listens to podcasts while walking, without wearing earphones—just with the glasses. At home, she turns on lights through the AI glasses.
Wang Danding said, "There is a third solution beyond acceptance or change. A warm company, or a group of warm people, working hard even when you forget your own needs—this is very heartwarming."
For people like He Yajun, AI glasses are "another pair of eyes."
Why HarmonyOS
The launch of Be My Eyes is a turning point.
Every ecosystem's growth goes through a key change: from "domestic developers passively porting" to "international benchmark applications actively joining." Be My Eyes joining HarmonyOS is a signal of this turning point.
But why did Be My Eyes choose HarmonyOS? Hans gave the answer at the Lakeside Conversation. He first explained the core logic of Be My Eyes: "Volunteers can see the current screen of a visually impaired person through their smartphone or future Huawei AI glasses, and then help them with tips."
But he then made a key judgment: "Visually impaired people want choice—they want to be able to choose whether to get help from a real person or AI."
This means Be My Eyes and Huawei's AI glasses are complementary. Be My Eyes provides the "human" connection—the warmth of 10 million volunteers, the flexibility of human judgment, the satisfaction of emotional communication. Huawei's AI glasses provide the immediacy of "AI"—24/7, zero waiting, anytime, anywhere.
The combination builds a more complete accessibility ecosystem.
Hans himself is visually impaired. Because of his low-vision experience, he founded Be My Eyes. Before that, he served as a board member of a public service agency for the visually impaired, chairman of the board of a residential institution for the visually impaired, and regional chairman of the Danish Association of the Blind. These experiences gave him a deep understanding: visually impaired people need to be "empowered," not "cared for."
Be My Eyes' operating model is therefore unique. It is more like a public-benefit "connection platform" rather than a commercial "service platform." Volunteers charge no fees, and users do not pay. The platform's operating costs mainly come from corporate donations and partner support.
Currently, Be My Eyes supports 185 languages and provides 7×24 service. This means no matter where in the world a visually impaired user is or what language they speak, they can find a volunteer who can communicate within minutes. By joining the HarmonyOS ecosystem, this global community of the largest low-vision user base (1 million users) and the second-largest volunteer community (10 million volunteers) will have the opportunity to reach more HarmonyOS device users in mainland China.
Hans specifically mentioned: "Denmark has a total population of 6 million. I am very proud that Huawei chose to cooperate with Be My Eyes and bring it to China."
For the HarmonyOS ecosystem, the significance of Be My Eyes' launch goes far beyond "one more app." It means that HarmonyOS's openness, user base, and ecosystem value are now worth the independent development investment from international apps. This resonates with Huawei's own accessibility strategy: Huawei is evolving from "doing accessibility itself" to "doing accessibility with ecosystem partners."
Hans said: "Sometimes you want someone to help you look, but most of the time, visually impaired people know very well what they are doing—they just want someone to confirm that the result is what they want. For example, when a blind person is on a bus, they should be able to choose between a real volunteer or AI service. The choice should be in their hands."
This concept of "choice" is precisely the core emphasized by Huawei at the Lakeside Conversation. He Gang said: "On one hand, we use AI to improve the consumer experience; on the other hand, we have Be My Eyes volunteers to better help visually impaired people. These are our efforts."
Every ecosystem's growth has a key turning point. Be My Eyes joining HarmonyOS is that signal.
Huawei's "Eight-Year Long March" for Accessibility
Huawei's accessibility efforts started in 2017. The starting point was very basic: screen reading. Then came Xiaoyi Voice Repair, Xiaoyi See the World, hearing assistance in earphones, and the Watch Vitality Three Ring Wheelchair Mode, gradually covering different groups such as the visually impaired, hearing impaired, and physically disabled.
He Gang announced a set of figures at the Lakeside Conversation: To date, Huawei has provided services to over 8 million users with disabilities. It covers more than 20 accessibility courses covering all scenarios of daily life, and has conducted 465 accessibility feature experience events. More than 14,000 accessibility users have received accessibility knowledge training, and 105 users have deeply participated in accessibility experience officer activities, contributing hundreds of functional and core demands.
Behind these numbers is a fundamental shift: from "engineers imagining what you need" to "what users really need."
He Gang said: "Our developers initially built many features based on their own imagination. After they walked into a dark room and experienced it themselves, they realized their imagination was wrong."
This "dark room" is a famous experience within Huawei's accessibility team. At an event five years ago at HDC, Huawei built a completely pitch-black room. Engineers with normal vision wore blindfolds and tried to complete simple tasks in the room: get a glass of water, find the exit, identify items on the table. Many couldn't do it at all.
He Gang said: "Normal people go in, wear blindfolds, and the room is completely dark. They have no idea what's around them. Then you ask them to get a drink—they can't do it. That's when we experienced what daily life is like for visually impaired people."
From then on, Huawei started co-developing with users. This includes inviting users with disabilities to participate in testing, development, and verification, as well as the annual Lakeside Conversation where users directly face product managers with their needs.
At this year's Lakeside Conversation, Huawei set up an open mic session. He Yajun, Fan Jiancai, Gu Xiangjian, Pan Yifei, Yin Nan, Wang Danding, Mao Mao and other users directly presented their requirements to the product managers.
He Yajun said, "I hope for a continuous recognition mode." Fan Jiancai said, "I hope the AI glasses can accurately recognize obstacles for avoidance." Gu Xiangjian said, "I hope the AI glasses can help read paper books." Wang Danding said, "I hope future subway gates can be passed by lowering the head." These needs were recorded on the spot by He Gang and the product managers.
He Gang said: "Listening to you today was very touching. From a product manager's perspective, we want to hear real feedback from consumers."
This year, Huawei upgraded "Xiaoyi See the World" from the phone to the AI glasses. Product manager Zhang Weinan explained: "This not only frees users' hands but also lets Xiaoyi accompany users in the first-person perspective to explore the world more freely."
Huawei's accessibility capabilities now cover multiple devices. On the phone: screen reading, Xiaoyi Voice Repair, Xiaoyi See the World. On glasses: AI glasses real-time recognition with first-person perspective broadcast. On earphones: FreeBuds Pro 5 hearing test and hearing aid compensation. On watches: Vitality Three Ring Wheelchair Mode, allowing wheelchair users to track activity duration. Pan Yifei, a wheelchair user, said this feature is "a part of my life, a necessity."
In the future, Huawei plans to deepen the full-scenario accessibility ecosystem: HarmonyOS PC, smart wearables, IoT, cars, and even sign language translation and body control capabilities. From screen reading to AI glasses, Huawei has come an eight-year journey.
He Yajun will next climb 100 famous mountains and take AI glasses to Xinjiang. Mao Mao will continue her social media work to break the stereotype that "hearing-impaired people can't speak and only use sign language." Wang Danding will continue her business and use AI glasses to capture more moments with her cat. Gu Xiangjian will continue writing novels, hoping AI glasses can help him read paper books. Fan Jiancai will continue developing HarmonyOS apps to create tools for more visually impaired users. Pan Yifei will continue leading the "Hands on China" team in swimming, rock climbing, horseback riding, and skydiving.
They are all "stepping out of their near circles," expanding from a familiar radius of a few dozen meters to kilometers, city-level, even 100 famous mountains.
And technology is becoming the most reliable blind cane.
He Gang concluded at the Lakeside Conversation: "Small steps, through accumulation, can become a qualitative change. Perhaps one day, these incremental technological advances will converge into a grander goal of making life better. We have always said that in product development, we work together with you. Every suggestion helps us mature our products. We look forward to integrating technology into daily life, caring for everyone, and enabling more people to freely perceive the world, express themselves, and connect with each other."
Technology should "adapt" to everyone, not require people with disabilities to "adapt" to technology.
