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<h1 style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica;"> <font size="4">Research Study: Digital Literacy and Blindness</font></h1>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Dr. Sean Zdenek and Melissa Helquist of Texas Tech University invite you to participate in a research study titled, “Digital Literacy and Blindness.” </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">The purpose of this study is to identify how individuals with low vision or blindness read, write, listen to texts, and use the Internet. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Your experiences can provide new insight about how individuals who are blind and low vision access print and digital texts. These insights may influence new definitions of literacy. The study will include a voluntary one-hour interview about your experiences with every day literacy activities: reading, writing, and using the Internet. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">After the one-hour interview, you may be invited to participate in additional interviews and observations. The time spent on follow-up interviews and observations will be flexible, depending on your interest and availability; the typical time for participation in this part of the study will be 5-10 hours. Participation in this second part of the study is also optional. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">If you choose to participate in this study, your participation will be confidential. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Additional information about the study can be found in the <a href="http://myweb.ttu.edu/mhelquis/FAQ.php" target="_blank">FAQ</a>. Information about this study is also available in braille. Please let Ms. Helquist know if you would like braille documents. </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Melissa Helquist at 801-875-1281 or <a href="mailto:melissa.helquist@ttu.edu">melissa.helquist@ttu.edu</a>. </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Any questions you have about this study can be answered by Dr. Sean Zdenek (806-392-6696; <a href="mailto:sean.zdenek@ttu.edu">sean.zdenek@ttu.edu</a>) or Melissa Helquist (801-875-1281; <a href="mailto:melissa.helquist@ttu.edu">melissa.helquist@ttu.edu</a>). You can also ask the IRB Coordinator of the Texas Tech University Institutional Review Board. Call (806) 742-3905 or contact the Texas Tech University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects, Office of the Vice President for Research, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Thank you for considering participation in this study. </font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Dr. Sean Zdenek, Associate Professor, <a href="mailto:sean.zdenek@ttu.edu">sean.zdenek@ttu.edu</a></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"> <font size="4">Melissa Helquist, PhD Candidate, <a href="mailto:melissa.helquist@ttu.edu">melissa.helquist@ttu.edu</a></font></p>
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<span class="signature">Kathryn Carroll<br /> President, New York Association of Blind Students</span>
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