Accessible Test

Step By Step:

An Interactive Guide to Mobility Techniques

(Continued)

Purpose

To offer university students who are studying to become orientation and mobility specialists a visual tool that they can use outside of class time to learn, review, and practice the mobility techniques that they are learning to teach

Project Staff

Mary T. (Terrie) Terlau, Project Leader

Rosanne Hoffmann, Research Assistant/Co-Project Leader

Sandy Rosen, Author/Consultant

Background

In the Product Idea Submission Form that Sandy Rosen prepared for APH, she provided the following background information about this project. “A laserdisc prototype (developed through a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, was originally field-tested by students and faculty in orientation and mobility at three universities: The University of Texas at Austin, Western Michigan University, and San Francisco State University. Feedback from students and faculty not only revealed multiple effective uses for such a database and interactive learning tool, but it also confirmed that there were significant differences among the universities in how students were taught to perform mobility skills.

“Surprised by this finding, and wanting to develop a tool that would have national relevance, Dr. Rosen participated in a symposium at San Francisco State University in February 1993. University faculty in O&M from throughout the United States were brought together to share the methods of performing mobility techniques that they each teach at their respective universities and colleges. In this symposium, participants demonstrated their individual methods for performing each technique and, as a nationally representative group, came to a general consensus on acceptable basic standard and accepted alternate methods for performing techniques.”
Compiling information developed at this symposium, Rosen produced the Step by Step program, which she describes in the Product Idea Submission Form. “Step by Step combines text, full-motion and stop-action video, and photographs to demonstrate and describe basic, intermediate, and advanced mobility skills used by travelers who are blind. It is an interactive instructional program that has been developed to supplement university professional preparation programs. Users of the program can test their understanding of the techniques, identify errors commonly made by those who are learning to travel, and determine appropriate measures to correct each error. It is a system that lends itself to both individual use and collaborative learning where small groups of students go through the activities together.
“The focus is on learning the elements of how each technique is performed, visually identifying common performance errors made by travelers who have visual impairments, and then learning how to correct those errors in order to enable a person to travel more efficiently, effectively, and to avoid potential injury.”
Rosen provided APH with both written and DVD materials. Written materials include photos and detailed descriptions of all techniques covered by the symposium. Additional written materials provide a quick review of all techniques. Videos and electronic photos provide both demonstrations of techniques and assessments in which students select the video that best answers a specific technical question.
The co-project leader viewed videos and read all written materials. Written materials were well-prepared. They required correction of only a few keyboarding errors in order to be submitted for expert review.
As a result of this review, Rosen re-shot a number of photos that were “blurry,” and she submitted replacement pages and files to APH. Before FY 2008, cross-platform video materials originally developed with Macintosh® hardware presented a persistent problem when running on a PC: the cutting off of text in scroll boxes. This problem was solved by reprogramming by Rosen.
Five certified O&M specialists (three university O&M faculty members and 2 advanced graduate students) were selected as expert reviewers. Complete Step by Step video and print materials and a questionnaire were sent to them.
Work during FY 2009

All expert reviews were received, data were analyzed, and multiple changes to written materials were made based on reviewer suggestions. The edit/rewrite process involved intense email communication between the project leader and Rosen. Several sections were completely rewritten and input was obtained from additional experts in the field.

APH's in-house graphic designer has prepared a color scheme and layout to be used throughout all modules of the printed materials. Based on this layout, design of the first Study Guide module, Human Gide, has been completed. Because design/color components for other modules have been resolved, additional modules can be laid out quickly and efficiently.
The in-house graphics designer did a test run of photos in all modules on the production printer and determined that photos can be sized at 3" x 4" so that detailed hand/arm/cane positions can be clearly seen. The in-house graphics designer will touch up some photos that did not print well on the production printer on a trial run at this size.
Currently, some video scenarios that challenge the student to select the correct technique from a series do not operate properly when moving between incorrect answers, correct answers, and the scenario. To solve this problem, Rosen and her programmer have changed programming and have raised minimum system requirements for running DVDs. A corrected DVD set is being prepared for APH.
Work Planned for FY 2010

Graphic design and layout for Study Guide and Review Guide modules will be completed. These materials will be produced as HTML and text files for inclusion on CDs in the volumes, and will be printed in book form. DVDs will be copied, and the product will be made available for sale.

Talking PC Maps

(New)
Purpose

To teach street layout and location literacy with an interactive, PC-based, talking and on-screen United States map in which specific key strokes move students virtually along streets and past points of interest.

Project Staff

Mary T. (Terrie) Terlau, Project Leader

Ann Travis, Project Assistant
Background

In 2007, Mike May, CEO of the Sendero Group (a company noted for its development of accessible GPS systems for persons with visual impairments), proposed that APH develop, in collaboration with Sendero, a map exploration tool to be run on the BrailleNote® note taker made by Humanware Inc. and possibly later on a PC. The APH Product Advisory and Review Committee) PARC) decided to pursue the development of such a product for the PC.

Ongoing dialog was undertaken among all interested parties, leading to the following conclusions about product development: first, working jointly to provide a GPS solution for the Braille Plus Mobile Manager and a maps solution for the PC was not feasible because technical differences between operating systems precluded parallel and collaborative development; second, Talking PC Maps must present street data by itself to teach street layout and must also present combined street and Point of Interest data to teach the integration of landmarks, location awareness, and street layout; and third, Talking PC Maps must perform in accordance with a stipulated set of essential features, some of which will be stipulated as proprietary to the APH PC program.

Work during FY 2009

The project leader specified an overall program description; a set of essential features (some of which are proprietary to APH's PC software); a set of directions for describing intersection shapes and layouts; and a set of on-screen color combinations to be used to depict pertinent features. The project leader prepared documentation addressing the unique qualifications of Sendero Group to produce this software. However, it was determined that a unique qualification did not exist and that, in accord with federally–mandated procedures, the project specifications were to be sent out for bid to at least three appropriate vendors. The project leader prepared the documents mentioned previously for such submittal.

Work planned for FY 2010

It is anticipated that project documents will be sent out for bid, that a vendor will be located, that contractual agreements will be made, and that prototype development will begin.