[nabs-l] Seeking Opinions on Blind Research Techniques

Fri Jan 27 03:53:13 UTC 2017

Hello Karl,

I do not understand how someone could tell what someone is or is not eating based on pressure and authority figures. Is there any way you could explain this to me? I am not quite sure how conversations alone could tell me what someone actually eats or leaves behind on their plates or in their lunch box.

As for directing people to look for certain things, I would believe this would be rather difficult in the beginning as I would simply be observing while eating lunch with my first grade buddy. I would simply be making general observations about what is going on around me so that I could possibly find something to focus my research paper on. However, if I am only looking for specific things in the beginning then I could miss out on other things that might be important for my research. 

So would I simply ask other people to describe what is going on visually around me? And if I am not able to find some sort of visual assistant, then how else could I complete this project? We need to observe during twelve lunch periods that are about an hour and a half long. I currently do not have the money to pay anyone to assist me, and I am already at odds with my disabilities office regarding readers for other classes.

I would really like to be able to conduct the research on my own rather than depend on the observations of others for my research. I think it is one thing to have someone assist you by interpreting words and a completely different thing to have someone assist you by interpreting actual observations. It seems like they would be the one doing the research and not me.

Thanks,
Elizabeth
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Karl Martin Adam via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 10:19 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Karl Martin Adam <kmaent1 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seeking Opinions on Blind Research Techniques

Hi Elizabeth,

You would still be going to the sight, listening to the conversations that go on, paying attention to all the other auditory cues you can etc.  Taking someone with you could work something like when an actual anthropologist uses a translator except instead of translating one language to another, they would be translating specific visual information that you asked them for (like what the students eat, how much they leave on their plates, etc.).  I think given your list of topics, a lot of this isn't visual anyway, so you could do this on your own.  All the things involving authority over food choices and peer pressure, for instance, involve paying attention to conversations, which you could do at least as well as any sighted person.

HTH,
Karl

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Elizabeth Mohnke via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org Date sent: Fri, 27 Jan 2017 02:17:12 +0000
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seeking Opinions on Blind Research Techniques

Hello Justin,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my message. Can you expand upon this idea? How would I use another person to conduct my research without this person doing my research for me? If I were to use another person for my research, would my research be based on their observations and not mine? I am the one who needs to be conducting the research and not someone else.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Justin Williams via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 8:46 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list' 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Justin Williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seeking Opinions on Blind Research Techniques

You could have someone go with you.  It would be aloud as an accommodation.
You could have the professor or disability help you find someone, or you could find your own person.
You might have to pay them.  Such as paying another college student, or a classmate.
 Justin

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Mohnke via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 8:43 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; social-sciences-list at nfbnet.org
Cc: Elizabeth Mohnke <lizmohnke at hotmail.com
Subject: [nabs-l] Seeking Opinions on Blind Research Techniques

Hello All,

I hope everyone is off to a good start to the beginning of a new semester. I would like to participate in a service learning project for an anthropology class I am taking this semester, and I am wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on conducting participant observational research for social science classes.

The research includes twelve visits observing a first grader during lunch at a local elementary school. We are then asked to propose a specific research topic related to behavior and food, and write a paper based on our observations along with some scholarly resources.

I have never conducted participant observational research before, so I am not completely sure how I would be able to do this as a blind student. Since observing other people includes both visual and non-visual aspects of the environment and the people in it, what would be the best way for me to be able to obtain the visual aspects of the environment and the people in it as a blind student while conducting my research?

Some suggested specific topics for the research paper include food waste, peer pressure related to food choices, socialization during eating periods, physical movement during eating periods, gender differences, influence of authority over food choices, aesthetic presentation of food and its relationship to food choices, and marketing related to food choices.

If anyone knows how I could successfully conduct a participant observational research project as a blind student, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. However, please note there is also a more traditional research paper assignment for any student who does not wish to complete the service learning project. So this research project is simply an option that I would like to be able to do if I can figure out a way to be able to do it as a blind student.

Thanks,
Elizabeth
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