[Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

Fri Mar 13 19:34:19 UTC 2015

I care about words and their literal meanings. I also believe that
lumping us all into one big category called visually impaired can be
harmful. My favorite example: when I first came to the University of
Texas, the disability coordinator said that there was an accessible
campus map I could use. She meant that I could blow up the map on the
screen. Obviously, this didn't work for me. Lots of my time gets
wasted with inappropriate solutions when people categorize me as
visually impaired. That encompasses way too many people. Besides,
blind is a great word. It's short and accurate.

Sina, I loved the way you parsed the phrase to mean ugly. I'll have to
remember that one.

Amanda Lacy

On 3/13/15, Lewicki, Maureen <mlewicki at bcsd.neric.org> wrote:
> Hi, Richard, it may seem cold hearted of mr, but when my students bristle at
> the term Visually Impaired, I try to encourage them with this
> thought...whatever the title, what matters most is what you do despite the
> challenge, despite the term.
>
> I used to be a teacher of the visually handicapped. Now I am a teacher if
> the visually impaired, and I often see the job listed as a teacher of people
> who have a visual impairment. Funny though, the job did not change.
>
>
>
> Maureen Murphy Lewicki
> Teacher of the Visually Impaired
> Bethlehem Central Schools
> 700 Delaware Avenue
> Delmar, NY 12054
> http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/
>
>
> On Mar 13, 2015, at 1:14 PM, Wheatley, Richard via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>
> An interesting point, I am registered as blind, and I used to hate the
> phrase"visually impaired" but over the last few years I have come to use it
> to describe myself more and more. Is there techniqually a difference? I
> always thought that blind was a subset of visual impairment. I just didn't
> like the sound of being impaired.
> Best wishes
> Richard
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda
> Lacy via Blindmath
> Sent: 13 March 2015 16:42
> To: derek riemer; Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research
> Study
>
> It was a joke, geez.
>
> I'm blind, not visually impaired. I've never been visually impaired, so the
> language the researcher used felt like it excluded me. I thought I was
> pointing out the obvious.
>
> Also, Sabra is a friend of mine. She didn't think my message was sent by the
> researcher. She may have found it annoying, but not hurtful.
>
> Lighten up, folks.
>
> Amanda Lacy
>
> On 3/13/15, derek riemer via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
> +1. Please note that the person who replied with the nasty post is not
> the person who is doing the study. I don't know what the heck happened
> there, but that was indeed rude.
>
> On 3/13/2015 9:18 AM, Lynn Reed via Blindmath wrote:
> That is the most rude and hurtful response I have EVER seen on this blog.
> WTH???
> Why would someone that is not blind need a screen reader for math??
> If you are not trying to help the blind then what are you doing on this
> blog??
>
> What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
> ----Ralph Waldo Emerson
>
> On Mar 12, 2015, at 4:31 PM, Amanda Lacy via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>
> Sorry, you don't qualify. You're blind, not visually impaired.<G>
>
> On 3/12/15, Sabra Ewing via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
> I am interested in this study. Right now, I do my math and computer
> braille.
> I either do it on my note taker so that I can read it, or I type it
> on the computer and I send it to my teachers. I also read my math
> that way too.
> They say my man when you're in awkward for them to read, but I like
> it that way, so I was thinking maybe a program like this would be
> able to produce mass that we could both enjoy reading. I do know
> Nimeth, But sometimes I have to look up a symbol if I don't know it
> because I don't think it's possible to know all of them and less
> you have taken the most advanced math courses. I am in calculus
> right now, and have started getting some electronic braille files
> that show up on my braille display that way, and I have been able
> to read them fine, but I did have to learn some new symbols because
> I had not  done things like take the derivative of a function
> before so I didn't know that symbol.
>
> Sabra Ewing
>
> On Mar 12, 2015, at 1:50 PM, P. McDermott-Wells via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>
> What is the study about?
> If you are a visually impaired student who knows Nemeth Braille,
> you are invited to participate in a research study. A computer
> software program is being developed that will provide tools to
> assist visually impaired students in doing mathematics. This
> program will provide a Nemeth Braille editor and a real-time chat
> feature.  It will translate Nemeth Braille to MathML, which can be
> inserted into a Microsoft Word document. The chat feature will
> allow you to communicate real-time with a math instructor, by
> translating Nemeth Braille to MathML and back as you communicate.
> The goal of this study is to determine if this program will reduce
> the time required for a visually impaired student to create math
> documents representing typical math assignments encountered in
> high school or entry-level college mathematics courses.
>
> When and where will this study occur?
> We will schedule a test session with you at your convenience. You
> can participate from home, and do not need to travel to the
> researcher's location.
>
> Why are you asking me?
> You have been invited because you have been identified as a
> visually impaired university or high-school student who knows Nemeth
> Braille.
>
> What will I be doing if I agree to be in the study?
> You will be given two sets of math problems typical of coursework
> found in a high school math course or an entry-level college math
> course, and asked to work through those problems.  For the first
> set, you will use your current methods to work the problems and
> produce results in a form that could be submitted to a sighted
> instructor.
>
> You will need to tell us what tools and methods you normally do
> your math homework, and you will need to measure the time it takes
> you to complete the first set of problems.
>
> For the second set, you will be asked to use a computer program
> that allows you to enter and edit Nemeth Braille math expressions
> and produce a document with your work in a form that could be
> submitted to a sighted instructor.
> You will have the opportunity to utilize a real-time chat
> communication feature that will give you access to a math
> instructor who will be able to help you solve the math problems as
> needed.
>
> You will need to spend some time practicing with the program to
> become comfortable in its use prior to the study session.  We
> estimate that you will need a minimum of 1 hour of use to become
> comfortable with its use.
> You
> will spend 60-90 minutes during the actual research study session
> using this program.
>
> We are NOT testing your math abilities!  We are testing to
> determine if this program will make it easier for you to produce
> your math work and/or to get instructor help when you need it.
>
> Is there any audio or video recording?
> This research project will include audio and/or video recording of
> your actions using the computer program. Your computer screen is
> what will be video-recorded, and your voice will be audio-recorded
> during the test session.  These audio and video recordings will be
> available to be heard only by the research team.
>
> Will I get paid for being in the study?  Will it cost me anything?
> There are no costs to you and there will be no payments made for
> participating in this study. You will, however, have an
> opportunity to obtain a copy of the final version of the software
> program for your use when it is released, at no charge to you.
>
> You will have to install on your computer the computer program we
> provide, and also install the free personal version of the
> TeamViewer software program
> (http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx) that will allow the
> researcher to watch your actions while using the program. You will
> also need to have a working microphone on your computer, or be
> able to use a cellphone during the study session.
> I have some questions.
>
> If you would like to know more about this study, please contact
> the researcher (contact information is at the end of this document).
>
> Researcher: Patricia McDermott-Wells, PhD student at Nova
> Southeastern University
> Telephone: 561-798-3940
> Email: pmcdermo at nova.edu<mailto:pmcdermo at nova.edu>
>
>
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> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
>
>
>    Derek Riemer
>
> Department of Computer science Undergrad, proud CILA member, music
> lover, avid skier, and much more.
>
> "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be
> changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
>
> email me at derek.riemer at colorado.edu<mailto:derek.riemer at colorado.edu>
> <mailto:derek.riemer at colorado.edu>
> Phone: (303) 906-2194
>
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