[Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

Sina Bahram sina at sinabahram.com
Sat Mar 14 18:11:19 UTC 2015 

As a fellow researcher, rest assured no counterproductive intent was meant. However, I did you a great disservice by adding to the noise, as opposed to the signal, of the discussion. For that, I apologize.

A good apology, according to Randy Pausche, contains three parts. The first is, I'm sorry, and I am. the second is taking responsibility, and I do. I'll also try to refrain in the future from making a grammatical comment when far more important concepts such as STEM education for students with disabilities is a subject. The third, and most important in my opinion, part to a good apology is offering to do something to make up for the previous indiscretion.

to that end, I'd love to talk with you about your research, as my work with Design Science on our facilitating full and rich interactive exploration of mathematics by parsing the MathML and providing this to screen readers such as NVDA, seems like a perfect fit. I'd love to chat about this further, especially since MathPlayer 4 beta also supports outputting nemeth to braille displays in real-time via NVDA.

As both a potential beneficiary of your research, I'm blind, and a colleague, I'm finishing up a PhD in computer science related to this work as well as running a consulting firm who is quite passionate about this topic, I thank you for your diligent work on this important subject.

Sorry again, thanks, and cheers.

Take care,
Sina

President, Prime Access Consulting, Inc.
Twitter: @SinaBahram
Company Website: http://www.pac.bz
Personal Website: http://www.sinabahram.com
Blog: http://blog.sinabahram.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of P. McDermott-Wells via Blindmath
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2015 1:39 PM
To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

I am the author of the research study.  I have used the term "visually impaired" because it is common use in documentation from AFB, National Eye Institute, CDC, and many other organizations. This term as used by those organizations does not exclude blind individuals (nor does my study). 

I am an instructor at Florida International University who has mentored, advocated for, tutored, and assisted several VI students in their quest to master math, IT, and CS courses over the last several years. I am also a PhD candidate at Nova Southeastern University. This research project was inspired by watching VI university students struggle to produce math in a form suitable for their sighted instructors. I have worked in the computer industry prior to teaching for over 35 years (and still do), in many capacities, including extensive software development. 

This study is for any student or instructor who is not satisfied with current techniques for facilitating the production of sighted math constructs from a student's Nemeth Braille input, and would like to try a different approach.  The prototype product actually does much more than this.

You may consider me to be grammatically incorrect and/or politically incorrect - that is your prerogative. I am not interested in debating terminology.  I am focused on completing a software product that I strongly believe will be of great use to students who use Nemeth Braille for math. And I will welcome any U.S.  high school or university student with any level of vision or lack thereof who knows Nemeth Braille and would like to participate.

Interested study participants, please contact me at pmcdermo at nova.edu 

P. McDermott-Wells


-----Original Message-----
From: Sina Bahram [mailto:sina at sinabahram.com] 
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2015 1:19 PM
To: 'Wheatley, Richard'; 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'; 'Amanda Lacy'
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

Technically, visually impaired means you're ugly. Since it would mean that you're impaired, visually. As opposed to vision-impaired.

One of those interesting terms ...





President, Prime Access Consulting, Inc.
Twitter: @SinaBahram
Company Website: http://www.pac.bz
Personal Website: http://www.sinabahram.com
Blog: http://blog.sinabahram.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Wheatley, Richard via Blindmath
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2015 1:12 PM
To: Amanda Lacy; Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

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> 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> 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> 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> 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
>>>>>
>>>>>
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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>
> Phone: (303) 906-2194
>
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