Accessible Test

Nonverbal Communication Curriculum

(Continued)

Purpose

To develop an instructional curriculum that will help adults who are blind or visually impaired understand and integrate nonverbal communication skills into their daily lives

Project Staff

Mary T. (Terrie) Terlau, Project Leader

Karen McCulloh, Consultant/Author
Background

The ability to communicate nonverbally is an essential skill for successful functioning in occupational and interpersonal situations. Because learning about and producing nonverbal communication is derived from visual modeling and is based on availability of visual information, persons with visual impairments may experience difficulties in both understanding the meaning of nonverbal behavior and producing understandable nonverbal communications. They may need specific educational experiences to help them understand what is going on around them and to develop positive methods of nonverbal communication.

This project will result in a curriculum that will help people who are visually impaired learn how to integrate nonverbal communication skills into their daily interactions. Topics such as gestures, posture, social distance, appearance, voice intonations, and facial expressions will be covered. This curriculum will help blind or visually impaired individuals become more successful within interpersonal communication situations such as job interviews, professional meetings, advocacy situations, and everyday social interactions.
Karen McCulloh has submitted materials to be used to select and prepare students for the instructional course. Scheduling complications have slowed down progress, but materials submitted have been excellent; and McCulloh plans to continue to submit material as quickly as her work schedule permits. McCulloh has submitted assessment protocols, background, and additional material for Session 1.
Work during FY 2009

Because of McCulloh's intense work schedule and her increasing responsibilities in the public sector with regard to disability issues, she has not been able to provide substantial new material for this project during FY 2009.

Work planned for FY 2010

McCulloh and the project leader have agreed that, if her work and public sector responsibilities remain at their present level as of January 1, 2010, she will no longer work with this project; another consultant and another project design will be sought at that time.

O&M for Families

(Continued)
Purpose

To provide orientation and mobility instructors with an interactive computer-based tool to create individualized orientation and mobility (O&M) progress booklets for a student and his/her family

Project Staff

Mary T. (Terrie) Terlau, Project Leader

Fabiana Perla, COMS, Consultant/Author

Betsy O’Donnell, COMS, Consultant/Author

Larry Skutchan, Technology Project Leader

John Hedges, Programmer

Erica Rucker, Research Assistant

Ann Travis, Research Assistant

Background

In order for a student with visual impairments to integrate orientation and mobility skills into his/her daily life, the student must use these skills in a variety of home and school settings. The more information families have about their child’s orientation and mobility needs and about the skills that their child is currently learning, the more they can encourage and support their child’s use of orientation and mobility skills at home and in the community. Orientation and mobility instructors attempt to establish and maintain communication with their students’ families. However, large case loads and busy family schedules may not allow enough time for individualized communication about a number of essential topics. Many orientation and mobility instructors and the families they serve could benefit from an easy-to-use, standardized method of communication about a child’s orientation and mobility skills and needs.

Betsy O’Donnell and Fabiana Perla, experienced orientation and mobility specialists, developed and field tested a booklet that an orientation and mobility instructor could complete for the family of a particular student. Perla and O’Donnell are working with the Adult Life Project Leader to develop a software package on CD-ROM that would guide an orientation and mobility instructor through the process of creating such a book for a particular student and her/his family.
The software package under development contains information found effective in Perla and O’Donnell’s original work. The resulting booklet provides information about the purpose of orientation and mobility and the types of skills taught. The software also includes sections to be customized by the instructor regarding the child’s eye condition, the functional implications of this condition, the orientation and mobility skills that the child is learning, and the child’s current level of mastery of these skills. Additional sections explained the important role of the family in utilizing teachable moments and participating in various types of games and activities to enhance development of particular skills. The software allows the instructor to choose from a list of helpful activities or write individualized ones.
During FY 2006, Perla and O’Donnell completed prototype content and the project leader completed the final edit of text. All material was “plugged” into the screen-by-screen outline. The programmer brought this revised material into the program, and early prototypes of the program were evaluated by the programmer and project leader.
During FY 2007, necessary program changes were outlined, the programmer revised the program, and additional changes were suggested by in-house staff.
During FY 2008, color, contrast, the appearance of token characters on-screen, and the use of small scroll boxes for viewing and selecting from long lists of data have been addressed by in-house testers; the programmer made changes to meet these specifications.
Work during FY 2009

The software was revised to meet in-house review specifications. It was shared with consultants who offered additional changes. Approximately 28 O&M instructors used and reviewed the software and suggested additional changes in an on-line email list forum. Further changes were suggested by consultants as they reviewed pertinent sections of the program. The programmer is revising screens to meet altered specifications resulting from consultant and field reviews.

Work planned for FY 2010

Field review changes to the software will be completed; one final field test round will be initiated to check changes, and the program will be made available for sale.