[NFBWATLK] Respond by Tomorrow: Research Study Opportunities for Screen Reader Users

[Cindy Bennett]

Hello,

This is a reminder to get in touch with us by tomorrow if you are
interested to participate in either of the below studies!

Cindy


Hello Microsoft VIPs!  We wanted to inform you of two paid research
participation opportunities from Microsoft Research that may interest
you (or people you know). These should be interesting studies, that
will help Microsoft advance the state of the art in automatic and
interactive image description systems. They are open to legally blind
adults who use screen readers and live in the Seattle metro region.
If you would like to sign up for one or both of these studies, or if
you have any questions about them, please reply to Meredith Morris at
merrie at microsoft.com by July 26th. Feel free to share this information
with people outside Microsoft who you think may be eligible and
interested in participating.


1) New technologies for orientation, mobility and outdoor exploration

When: July 31 – August 4 between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm
Where: Kirkland, WA

Participants should be adults who are legally blind and navigate with
the assistance of a white cane or guide dog. Participants should not
have any mobility impairments and should not have any hearing
impairment unless their hearing is corrected via a hearing aid,
cochlear-implant, etc. such that they would be able to hear
directional audio played via headphones and hear a screenreader output
through standard speakers without any additional modifications. During
the study session, participants will go for a short walk in an
outdoors public area, accompanied by researchers.

The study will take about 1 hour in total, and participants will have
a choice of receiving either an Amazon or Visa gift card in the amount
of $50 as a token of our thanks for participation. In addition, up to
$50 additional can be added to the gift card if needed to reimburse
for transportation expenses to get to the waterfront area of Kirkland,
WA (we will provide more detail on location when we schedule your
specific timeslot).

If you would like to participate, please see instructions below.

2) New technologies for screenreaders and Web browsing

When: August 7 – 11 between 9:00 am  and 6:00 pm
Where: Microsoft Research offices in Redmond, WA

Participants should be adults who are legally blind and have
experience using a screen reader for computing devices such as
desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones. In addition, participants
should not have any hearing impairment unless their hearing is
corrected via a hearing aid, cochlear-implant, etc. such that they
would be able to hear directional audio played via headphones and hear
a screenreader output through standard speakers without any additional
modifications. During the study session, participants will use a
screen reader to interact with a computer and tablet.

The study will take 2 hours in total, and participants will have a
choice of receiving either an Amazon or Visa gift card in the amount
of $100 as a gratuity. In addition, up to $50 additional can be added
to the gift card if needed to reimburse for transportation expenses to
get to Microsoft Research, which is located at 14865 NE 36th St,
Redmond, WA.

If you would like to participate in either (or both) of these studies,
please reply to this message and indicate:

1)	Your name
2)	Your age
3)	Which study you wish to participate in
4)	Which dates and times you would be available to participate.
For study 1, that would be: Jul 31 – Aug 4, 10am – 5pm.
For study 2, that would be: Aug 7 – Aug 11, 9am – 6 pm.


Thank you,
Meredith Morris


Meredith Ringel Morris, Ph.D.
Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research
http://aka.ms/merrie







-- 
Cindy Bennett
https://www.bennettc.com/

Ph.D. Candidate in Human Centered Design and Engineering
University of Washington