[Pibe-division] Fw: Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study - Math in the Dark

[Edward Bell]

Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study 



What is the study about? 

If you are a visually impaired student who knows Nemeth Braille, you are invited to participate in 

a research study. A computer software program is being developed that will provide tools to 

assist visually impaired students in doing mathematics. This program will provide a Nemeth 

Braille editor and a real-time chat feature. It will translate Nemeth Braille to MathML, which can 

be inserted into a Microsoft Word document. The chat feature will allow you to communicate 

real-time with a math instructor, by translating Nemeth Braille to MathMl and back as you 

communicate. The goal of this study is to determine if this program will reduce the time required 

for a visually impaired student to create math documents representing typical math assignments 

encountered in high school or entry-level college mathematics courses. 

When and where will this study occur? 

We will schedule a test session with you at your convenience. You can participate from home, 

and do not need to travel to the researcher’s location. 

Why are you asking me? 

You have been invited because you have been identified as a visually impaired university or 

high-school student who knows Nemeth Braille. 

What will I be doing if I agree to be in the study? 

You will be given two sets of math problems typical of coursework found in a high school math 

course or an entry-level college math course, and asked to work through those problems. For 

the first set, you will use your current methods to work the problems and produce results in a 

form that could be submitted to a sighted instructor. 

You will need to tell us what tools and methods you normally do your math homework, and you 

will need to measure the time it takes you to complete the first set of problems. 

For the second set, you will be asked to use a computer program that allows you to enter and 

edit Nemeth Braille math expressions and produce a document with your work in a form that 

could be submitted to a sighted instructor. You will have the opportunity to utilize a real-time 

chat communication feature that will give you access to a math instructor who will be able to 

help you solve the math problems as needed. 

You will need to spend some time practicing with the program to become comfortable in its use 

prior to the study session. We estimate that you will need a minimum of 1 hour of use to 

become comfortable with its use. You will spend 60-90 minutes during the actual research study 

session using this program. 

We are NOT testing your math abilities! We are testing to determine if this program will make it 

easier for you to produce your math work and/or to get instructor help when you need it. 

Is there any audio or video recording? 

This research project will include audio and/or video recording of your actions using the 

computer program. Your computer screen is what will be video-recorded, and your voice will be 

audio-recorded during the test session. These audio and video recordings will be available to 

be heard only by the research team. 

Will I get paid for being in the study? Will it cost me anything? 

There are no costs to you and there will be no payments made for participating in this study. 

You will, however, have an opportunity to obtain a copy of the final version of the software 

program for your use when it is released, at no charge to you. 

You will have to install on your computer the computer program we provide, and also install the 

free personal version of the TeamViewer software program 

(http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx)

that will allow the researcher to watch your actions 

while using the program. You will also need to have a working microphone on your computer, or 

be able to use a cellphone during the study session. 

I have some questions. 

If you would like to know more about this study, please contact the researcher (contact 

information is at the end of this document). 

I’m really interested and would like to participate. 

Great! Please contact the researcher (contact information is at the end of this document). 

Researcher: Patricia McDermott-Wells, PhD student at Nova Southeastern University 

Telephone: 561-798-3940 

Email: 

pmcdermo at nova.edu







Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC

REGISTER TO TAKE THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATION IN LITERARY BRAILLE (NCLB) Exam http://www.nbpcb.org/pages/announcements.php

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
www.latech.edu/instituteonblindness
********************
"I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."
-- Stephen Jay Gould



From: P. McDermott-Wells 
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 12:29 PM
To: ebell at latech.edu 
Subject: Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study - Math in the Dark 

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me at the recent NFB conference in Orlando. As I discussed with you, I need to recruit some visually impaired students who know some amount of Nemeth Braille and beginning algebra at the high school or college level.  The test sessions can be done remotely from the student’s home location. 

 

Attached is the official IRB-approved recruitment flyer for my dissertation research work.  I would appreciate your help in distributing this flyer to anyone who might have contact with visually impaired students who would be willing to participate in my research.

 

Thanks in advance,

Patricia McDermott-Wells 

Doctoral Candidate – Nova Southeastern University

 

 

 
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