WorkRERC Studying Workplace Needs for Those with Vision Impairments
The focus of Georgia Tech's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Workplace Accommodations (WorkRERC) is to further the understanding of employment barriers faced by people with disabilities. Its goal is to enable equitable access to employment, enhanced employment outcomes, and increased participation in the workplace for people with disabilities.
In a recently completed study, a potential barrier was identified for individuals with vision impairments. More information is needed. WorkRERC seeks your participation in a 15–20 minute survey about access to printed or digital information. The survey has been approved by Georgia Tech's Institutional Review Board.
You are eligible to take this survey if you have a vision impairment and are currently employed. For more information, please visit the WorkRERC survey site.
If you have any questions or would like to arrange to take the survey by telephone, please contact Maureen Linden at Maureen.Linden@coa.gatech.edu, or 404-894-0561.
Survey Announcement: Accessibility of Multifunctional Document Centers
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) seeks adults who are blind or visually impaired and who have experience with Multifunctional Document Centers (MDCs) to participate in an online survey.
MDCs are single devices that perform a variety of different tasks such as printing, copying, scanning, and faxing, as opposed to older office devices that perform only a single task, such as scanning or printing. MDCs can range from simple household printer/scanners to full-size, networked business copiers. For example, an all-in-one desktop printer or fax machine that also allows you to make copies would be considered an MDC.
MDCs are becoming increasingly commonplace in employment settings and schools due to their wide functionality. Though MDCs offer improved functionality, they often use complicated and inaccessible interfaces. In response to this issue, AFB is conducting a survey in collaboration with Mississippi State University (MSU) to determine the types of problems that people who are blind or visually impaired have when using MDCs, along with the quality of the accessibility of MDCs currently on the market.
The survey is intended for any visually impaired adult who has experience using MDCs. The survey will be posted online until we reach our desired number of participants. We are interested in two types of users—MDC users who primarily use their remaining vision and/or magnification tools to read, as well as MDC users who primarily use speech output and/or braille to read. If you are interested in taking the survey, please head to one of the links below:
If you primarily use your remaining vision and/or magnification tools to read, take this survey.
If you primarily use speech output and/or braille to read, take this survey.
The survey is expected to take no more than 30 minutes to complete. Following completion of the survey, AFB will provide you with a $20 stipend to thank you for your time and participation. If you would like to collect the $20 stipend, you will be asked to provide your name and contact information at the end of the survey, and AFB will then send a check made out to you to the specified address.
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Morgan Blubaugh at MBlubaugh@afb.net. Your participation in this survey will help AFB gather important information that we can share with leaders and policy makers in the field of vision loss about the use and functioning of MDCs by people who have visual impairments. We thank you in advance for your time and participation.
