[Ohio-Talk] EXT: Re: My published article is out!

[Jessica Stover]

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY, REMOTE INSTRUCTION, AND VISUAL IMPAIRMENT Dr. Jay Dorfman
and Jessica Stover

Perhaps receiving less attention than many the myriad difficulties of
moving to remote instruction during the pandemic has been students’
struggles with software that they had not previously encountered. These
struggles are only amplified for students with any kind of learning
difference or disability. Learning management system software (such as
Blackboard or Google Classroom) relies on a lot of text and nested
navigation; music software often contains many small, specialized buttons
and controls that may be unfamiliar to new users. Researchers have
suggested that allowing students to adapt to software is a possibility, but
enhancements to software may be more effective (Gorbunova & Voronov, 2018).

At Kent State, all music education students take a course called
Progressive & Vernacular Music Methods in which we focus on areas of music
teaching and learning that may be left out of more traditional methods
classes. The class relies heavily on technology for completing projects,
and this was emphasized in the remote format with all classes meeting
through synchronous video. Partway through the semester, I noticed that
this situation was particularly cumbersome for students with visual
impairments such as Jessica.

Jessica’s visual impairment is a result of retinopathy of prematurity, and
her eyesight has worsened over the years. A staunch advocate for rights for
the blind, Jessica is in the process of learning Braille and Braille music.
Her guide dog, Inca, is a regular around the Kent State Music Education
suite, and Jessica says that Inca enjoys musical activities as much as she
does. Jessica began her pursuit of music teacher licensure in the early
2010s, and after completing a degree in music technology, has returned to
school to finish licensure.

The purpose of this article is to share some of Jessica’s thoughts on
interaction with music technologies and education technologies,
particularly in the remote learning environment. I posed some questions to
Jessica to probe into her experiences and learn about how this class, and
perhaps others, could be altered for students with visual impairments. WHAT
OBSTACLES DO YOU ENCOUNTER MOST WHEN ENGAGING WITH MUSIC SOFTWARE?

Navigating some music software can be difficult when using assistive
technology such as JAWS for Windows or VoiceOver for iOS, which are both
screen reader software. This kind of software allows users with limited
vision to navigate a computer screen.

It frustrates me when I purchase music software/ apps, and I find out that
they are not accessible at all. A fully sighted person can easily scan the
interface, whereas someone with blindness needs to use the tab key or some
other combination of keys on the keyboard so they can hear what is on the
page for each button. I find myself not being able to interact with some of
the music software due to the buttons being unreadable by the screen reader
software.

WHAT REMEDIES DO YOU USE TO MAKE THESE OBSTACLES LESS PROBLEMATIC?

I tend to stick with what I know that works well with VoiceOver, but I like
to stay up to date on what’s out there today. Sometimes I use a fellow
sighted musician that can help with reading what’s on a page. I do have
some usable vision and can use the zoom function, but the eye strain gets
too much after ten minutes or so.

AS AN ADVOCATE FOR THE BLIND, YOU HAVE INTERACTED WITH SOME SOFTWARE
COMPANIES WHEN YOU FIND THAT THEIR PRODUCTS ARE NOT AS ACCESSIBLE AS THEY
MIGHT BE. WHAT HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES BEEN LIKE?

Some companies send an email back right away and say they will work on
fixing the issues, while others I have not heard back from. I am
persistent, and I hope that “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.”

HOW HAS THE SHIFT TO REMOTE LEARNING BEEN FOR YOU?

Most of us can say that it has been an interesting shift. Remote learning
has been a trial-and-error process for me. For those of us with blindness
that use any sort of screen reader, we experience sensory overload trying
to pay attention to the instructor while hearing what is being read on the
screen each time a student interacts in the course room such as raising/
lowering of virtual hands, any comments in the chat, or people leaving and
entering the room. It is a blessing and a curse. Things can get lost in
translation, but I feel that my professors at Kent State have done an
excellent job with helping me out in modifying some of the instruction that
takes place.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TEACHERS WHO HAVE STUDENTS WITH VISUAL
IMPAIRMENTS AND WANT TO ENGAGE THEM WITH MUSIC TECHNOLOGY?

Have a talk with the student and ask them what will work best for them.
There are varying degrees of vision loss, so interacting with each student
with a visual impairment will be different. It is not one-size-fits-all.
Make sure that any music technology you have is as accessible as can be,
knowing that nothing is perfect. Allow for them to have the extra time on
any project because even if the software works great with screen readers,
one has to take into account navigating each area of the screen. STRATEGIES

In her responses to my questions, and in our conversations about this
topic, Jessica revealed that such heavy reliance on computers for an entire
semester of remote learning really was difficult. I tried some strategies
to support her, with varying levels of success: 1) sending her
printed/scanned materials in advance of class meetings, 2) reviewing
software and other materials in advance of class myself to identify
potential causes of difficulty, 3) consulting with her about concerns and
soliciting her input about how to remedy them. I was indeed fortunate that
Jessica is a strong advocate for herself (who is, in fact, very active as
the Vice President of the Ohio Association of Blind Students, a division of
the National Federation of the Blind), and who speaks up without hesitation
when she encounters difficulties that fully sighted people may not have.

It is our responsibility as teachers to recognize difficulties that our
students with learning differences may have, and do all we can to help them
thrive. The transition to fully remote instruction, and the resulting
reliance on technology, may have caused obstacles for your students, and my
hope is that learning a bit about Jessica’s experiences may encourage you
to seek the best routes forward for your own circumstances.
REFERENCE
Gorbunova, I. B. & Voronov, A. M. (2018). Music computer technologies in
computer science and music studies at schools for children with deep visual
impairment. 16th International Conference on Literature, Languages,
Humanities & Social Sciences (LLHsSS-18). Budapest, Hungary.
https://doi.org/10.17758/URUAE4. UH10184021
RESOURCES
Using JAWS Screen reader software: https://drive.google.com/
file/d/1FHV4OlGlWV-JYV6PXD7caNJ-91_mYjDd/ view?usp=sharing.[JAWS is
commercially available software.]
Using VoiceOver for Mac: https://www.apple.com/voiceover/
info/guide/_1124.html [VoiceOver is a component built in to Apple
computers, as well as mobile devices.]
National Federation of the Blind Ohio Chapter: https://nfbohio.org

Jay Dorfman is associate professor and coordinator of music education, and
assistant to the director of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent
State University. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music
education from the University of Miami (FL) and the PhD in music education
from Northwestern University. Dr. Dorfman teaches classes in music
technology, progressive and vernacular music methods, and graduate
research. He has published research in several music education journals
including the Journal of Research in Music Education and the Journal of
Music Teacher Education, and he is the author of Theory and Practice of
Technology-based Music Instruction (Oxford University Press).

Jessica Stover received her bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from
Kent State University and a postgraduate degree for music production from
Kent State University Stark. Jessica performs both solo performances and
with a jazz combo, at various venues around the northeast Ohio area. She
has received outstanding soloist awards each year from 2010-2013 at the
prestigious Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. From 20172018 she taught adult
learners with varying degrees of vision loss giving lectures on jazz
history, leading a singing class, and teaching bell choir. She presently
serves as vice president for the Ohio Association of Blind Students, a
division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). She most recently
had the opportunity to lobby on Capitol Hill, advocating to make apps and
websites more accessible for those with blindness. Jessica is now pursuing
her degree in music education at Kent State University and lives in Stow,
Ohio with her guide dog Inca.

On Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 12:55 PM Richard Payne via Ohio-Talk <
ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Dear Jessica, I could not read it could you copy and paste it in the body
> of
> a message? Thanks
>
> Richard Payne,  President
> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
> 937/829/3368
> Rchpay7 at gmail.com
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jessica Stover
> via Ohio-Talk
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2021 10:30 AM
> To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Jessica Stover <jjstover at kent.edu>
> Subject: [Ohio-Talk] My published article is out!
>
> Hello fellow Ohio affiliate NFB members! An article that I helped to
> co-write with one of my professors is out and is published in our statewide
> music education journal. I hope you enjoy this featured article in the
> latest spring edition of Triad. Proud that the NFB is mentioned. I think I
> fixed it to where everyone can view it but, If for some reason you are not
> able to view it, I can do my best to make it accessible.
> https://issuu.com/omea-ohio/docs/triad_spring_2021_final_yeah/18
> --
> Jessica Stover,
> Vice President: Ohio Association of Blind Students
>
> Vice President: National Federation of the Blind Greater Akron Chapter
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-- 
peace

Jessica Stover
jjstover at kent.edu
jessicastover10 at gmail.com