[Greater-baltimore] FW: Requesting your help in finding blind MD teenagers

[Danielsen, Chris]

Hello everyone:

Please see below. This is critically important if we are to have fully accessible testing for blind students. If you can help or know of someone who can, please contact Mr. Irzyk, whose contact information is included below. Thanks.

Chris


From: Edward Bell <ebell at pdrib.com<mailto:ebell at pdrib.com>>
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 12:37:57 PM
To: ebell at latech.edu<mailto:ebell at latech.edu>
Cc: Jeff Heathman; joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov<mailto:joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov>; joshuai at mdschblind.org<mailto:joshuai at mdschblind.org>
Subject: Requesting your help in finding blind teenagers

Dear NFB Friend:

As you should be aware, the NFB is in a settlement agreement with PARCC to make sure that the online high-stakes tests are accessible to blind kids. I have been working on one of the subgroups over the last year to help make sure this is done quickly and effectively.

The folks at Pearson, (who are the ones actually developing the test platform) are working to do field-tests, or CogLabs, to try out how the online testing works with real blind kids. They are working to conduct some of these trials over the next couple of weeks in Baltimore, and are running into difficulty finding participants for the research. I know that with school being over, and everyone sick of standardized testing, the last thing anyone wants to do is more testing, however, if we want to ensure that this online testing is accessible and useful for blind kids then we need to help to make sure that we get youth to participate in this testing effort.

When: They are scheduling testing between May 30 and June 3 at the Maryland School for the blind.
Who: We need blind/VI kids in 6th to 11th grade who have working familiarity with JAWS.
How Long: I believe the testing takes about 1.5 hours in total.
Assistance: Pearson is willing to help parents with transportation assistance, and is scheduling on the weekend, evenings, and  any time that is convenient.
Contact: Please help reach out to parents in your area with this request for assistance. You will want to have them contact:
Joshua Irzyk, Ed.D
Maryland State Department of Education
(O) 410-767-0812<tel:410-767-0812>
joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov<mailto:joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov>
Or
410-444-5000 x 1410<tel:410-444-5000%20x%201410>
joshuai at mdschblind.org<mailto:joshuai at mdschblind.org>

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I sincerely thank you for your help.


Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC
Director, Professional Development and Research
Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University
210 Woodard Hall
PO Box 3158
Ruston LA 71272
Office: 318.257.4554                       Fax: 318.257.2259 (Fax) Skype: edwardbell2010
ebell at latech.edu<mailto:ebell at latech.edu>            www.pdrib.com<http://www.pdrib.com>
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