Hello, my name is Jenice Daigle, and I am legally blind. I am a graduate
student at Louisiana State University (LSU), studying mass communications.
Prior to my recent decision to go back to school for my masters degree, I was
an Occupational Therapist. This was a dynamic field, but it required very
little use of computers. When I returned to LSU this past August, I was
overwhelmed with the advancements that had occurred on campus for accessing
class schedules, fee bills, and library resources. The entire University had
become computer-driven and online-dependent. And, I was totally out of the
loop.
My experience has been frustrating, but it has helped me to formulate the
basis of my thesis research. I have become dedicated to studying
accessibility issues for the blind computer-user with the intent of using the
data to support and promote website accessibility projects throughout
corporate America. My career goal is to educate corporations on the
importance of creating web site services that are accessible to assistive
software programs. This will push companies to include the blind individual
as a member of their consumer population, and it will allow the average blind
computer-user to function at the same capacity as everyone else.
I am currently conducting a research study to determine the sufficiency of
assistive software programs for desktop and online activities. Your help, as
a blind computer-user, would be invaluable I have developed a questionnaire
that posts 22 questions which have been divided into four sections. The
survey has been designed for easy reading using screen reader software and
screen magnification programs. The initial 20 questions will prompt you for
very specific answers. For those questions that prompt you for a yes or no
answer, simply type your response immediately following the question. For
those questions that present you with choices, such as "all the time, some of
the time, rarely, etc.," a * symbol will appear before each choice. Please
indicate your selection by typing an X in front of the * that coincides with
your answer. For example, if your response to a question is "* All of the
time," then you would mark it like this "X * All of the time." The final 2
questions will ask you to describe your experiences or opinions. You may
simply type your responses following each question.
The questionnaire should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Your
assistance in conducting this research is greatly appreciated and I promise
to post the results of the study on this listserv. Please email the
completed survey to me at the following email address: [log in to unmask]
If it would be easier to print and mail the survey to me, you may do so at:
Jenice Daigle, P.O. Box 19751, Baton Rouge, LA 70894. Or, you may fax the
questionnaire to 504-392-1147. Thank you for your time and assistance. I
will continue collecting surveys until April 10.
For your convenience, a copy of the questionnaire is attached to this email
for those of you who would prefer to download it onto a disk. It will be
sent as a Word document text file, and it is exactly the same as the
questionnaire presented in this email.
The survey will now begin.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONAIRE
SECTION 1
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
1. What is your age?
2. Are you a male or female?
3. Are you completely blind, legally blind, or considered low vision?
SECTION 2
COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE:
4. How many years have you actively been using computers?
* Less than 1 year
* 1 to 5 years
* 6 to 10 years
* 11 to 20 years
* 21 or more years
5. How often do you use your computer with assistive software for the
blind?
* On a daily basis
* On a weekly basis
* On a monthly basis
* On a yearly basis
6. Did you use a computer prior to losing your vision?
Please type the letter Y for YES; the letter N for NO; or the letter
B to indicate ALWAYS BEEN BLIND.
7. Are you currently attending a college or university
that requires you to use a computer? Yes or no?
8. If yes, does your school provide appropriate assistive
software programs to support your computer needs? Yes or no?
9. Are you currently employed in a position that requires
you to use a computer? Yes or no?
10.If yes, do you have access to appropriate assistive
software programs at your place of employment? Yes or no?
11.Do you use a computer at home for personal business? Yes or no?
SECTION 3
ASSISTIVE SOFTWARE DEVICES:
12.Which assistive software programs do you primarily use? Please mark
all that apply.
* Screen magnification software
* Screen reader software
* Optical Character Recognition system (OCR)
* Braille reader technology
13.What type of training have you received to help you operate your
assistive software programs?
* Training in a classroom setting
* Training from a product distributor
* One-on-one training from a formal instructor
* Training from friends or family members
* Self-training with product training materials sent from the company
* Self-training through trial and error
14.Regarding your ability to use assistive software programs, how
sufficient was the training you received?
* Very sufficient
* Somewhat sufficient
* Some problems
* Many problems
* Not sufficient
15.How sufficient are these assistive software programs in assisting you to
complete your daily computer-based activities?
* Very sufficient
* Somewhat sufficient
* Some problems
* Many problems
* Not sufficient
16.Regarding computer-based tasks, how sufficient are these assistive
software programs in allowing you to function at the same capacity as
your friends and family who are not blind?
* Very sufficient
* Somewhat sufficient
* Some problems
* Many problems
* Not sufficient
17.How sufficient are these assistive software programs in allowing you to
function at the same capacity as non-blind computer users at your
school or work?
* Very sufficient
* Somewhat sufficient
* Some problems
* Many problems
* Not sufficient
SECTION 4
INTERNET ACCESS:
18.What brand of software do you primarily use when accessing
the internet? Please type your response.
19.Are you able to successfully engage in internet activities
using this brand of software?
* All of the time
* Most of the time
* Some of the time
* Rarely
* Not at all
20.Do you experience compatibility problems using this brand of assistive
software with online services?
* All of the time
* Most of the time
* Some of the time
* Rarely
* Not at all
21.Please describe the compatibility problems you encounter most often
when accessing the internet.
22.Please describe any other problems you frequently
encounter using assistive software programs.
The survey has been completed. Thank you.
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