[Nfbc-info] Survey for O&M research

Fri Apr 23 21:32:37 UTC 2010

Hi LM,

Thanks, I appreciate the perspective, both from you, and from the Way Finder
folks.  

You're absolutely right, of course, that there are many blind people who do
experience significant challenges in getting around -- I dare say, in fact,
a majority, no doubt a result of the state of the field of O&M training
these days... Sadly there aren't enough teachers out there like you!

Doesn't Way Finder produce software for GPSs?  I really don't think they are
just doing a blue skies inquiry here.  This feels more like market research
than academic research... And that's totally cool, by the way, since I would
hope that market research would reflect the input of folks like those on the
list here, I just feel that it's always an interesting question to ask about
the intentions of any survey, including this one.  

I would also encourage folks to take the survey if they have time.

Thanks,

Brian M

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Lisamaria Martinez
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 5:06 PM
To: NFB of California List
Subject: Re: [Nfbc-info] Survey for O&M research

Well ... actually ...

I believe the term way finding in this case simply refers to different
methods of traveling and things an individual might use to travel.

The survey is simply to gather data on how real blind people travel and what
they use to travel and gather information. There is no hypothesis out there
yet.

I, too, noted that most of the questions were phrased with the assumption
that I would have difficulties doing this or that. The truth is you and I
can travel with minimal difficulty, but there is a fair amount of people who
do have difficulties. So, how do they travel? How can they improve their
travel? What methods seem to work best by those who don't have difficulties
traveling? Are those who are experiencing difficulties employing the same
techniques those without difficulties are using?

at least, this is the info I got from the folks sponsoring the survey.

On 4/23/10, Brian Miller <brian-r-miller at uiowa.edu> wrote:
> Thanks Serena.
>
> I took the survey and found it rather interesting that most of the 
> questions seemed to be framed in such a way as to assume that I 
> experience significant difficulties in traveling outside the home.  My 
> impression from this survey is that the company is looking to validate 
> the need for blind people to use GPS technology to navigate safely, an 
> assumption with which I strongly disagree.
>
> This is just my impression, so I will be curious to hear what others 
> think after they take the survey.
>
> Brian Miller
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Serena Olsen
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:50 PM
> To: nfbc-info; cabs-talk
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Survey for O&M research
>
> This survey is totally worth 20-30 minutes of our time to help people 
> understand how we get around...please make the time to do it if you can.
> You can do it online or via telephone.
>
> Thanks,
> --
> Serena Olsen, MAIPS
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/serenaolsen
>
> Request for Participation -- Smith-Kettlewell WayfindingSurvey
>
> Greetings!
>
> The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (S-K), in collaboration 
> with researchers at Accessible Design for the Blind and U.C. Santa 
> Barbara, is conducting a survey of tools and techniques used by blind 
> and visually-impaired people in their every-day lives. We want to know 
> how you get around, how comfortable you feel in various situations, 
> what other disabilities you have, and what tools and techniques you 
> use in your daily travels. By participating in the S-K Wayfinding 
> Survey, you will extend our knowledge of how real blind and 
> visually-impaired people travel independently. You will also help to 
> improve the independence of future travelers with visual disabilities by
sharing your experience.
>
> You can participate in the S-K Wayfinding survey on the web, by phone, 
> or by TTY. The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete, 
> and your responses will be completely confidential. We eagerly look 
> forward to your participation and thank you in advance for your help.
>
> To take the survey on the web or ask questions about it:
> http://holman.ski.org/wayfindingsurvey
>
> Take the survey by phone:
> (415) 345-2013 -- We will call you back.
>
> Take the survey by TTY:
> (415) 345-2290 -- We will call you back.
>
> Please share this announcement with any individuals or lists you think 
> might be interested. If you do forward it, please take the time to 
> remove any extra e-mail headers to improve readability.
>
> Again, we thank you for your valuable assistance with this important 
> research project.
>
> ----------------------------------------
> Joshua A. Miele, Ph.D.
> The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
> 2318 Fillmore St
> San Francisco, CA 94115
>
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