Are you Deaf or hard of hearing? Do you live either in or near the Atlanta Metro or Washington, DC metro areas? We are seeking people who are Deaf or hard of hearing to give their feedback on a new product from a well-known company.
The Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC) would like to invite you to be a part of a multi-phase study being conducted.
In this study, participants will be asked about their day-to-day lives as someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing. We would like to learn more about where you could experience better accessibility to easy communication. The overall purpose of the study is to gather data that can be used to improve the usability of wearable technologies.
To be eligible you must:
Be Deaf or hard of hearing
Live within a 60-minute drive from Atlanta, GA or Washington, DC
Be willing to participate in a set of online activities during the week of March 24th
Be willing to participate in an in-home study for about 3 hours during the week of April 7th
Prefer using English primarily for reading, writing, speaking
Be 18 years old or older
Be a member of the Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC)
Phase 1: In this study, all participants will be asked to participate in Phase 1, an online community in which they will take a few minutes a day to answer short and interesting questions, for 5 days. Participants will be asked questions about their day-to-day life and about their communication with other folks who may be Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing.
Phase 2: Following the online community, participants may be asked to participate in Phase 2, an in-home research session, in which 2-3 researchers will come to the participant’s home, ask follow-up questions, and have them test out a product or products. Phase 2 should last no longer than 3 hours.
Compensation: Study participation should take no more than 6 hours in total, if chosen to participate in both phases. It will take no longer than 3 hours if chosen for just Phase 1. Following study completion, each participant will receive a $300 stipend per phase for their time and effort.
If you only participate in the first phase, you will receive a $300 Amazon gift card.
If you are invited to participate in and complete the second phase, you will receive an additional $300 Amazon gift card for participation.
If someone close that you live with, or a personal caregiver, is invited to share their insights, they will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
How to sign up: If you are interested in participating in this study, please email Delaney.Cowart@Shepherd.org with the answers to the following questions:
Do you live in or near Atlanta, GA or Washington, DC?
Please briefly describe your level of hearing or deafness.
Have you ever used wearable technology, like smart watches or glasses? If not, would you open to trying them?
ABOUT US
The Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC) is a national community of people with all types of disabilities interested in helping make technology more accessible and usable. The AURC is organized and maintained by assistive technology researchers at Shepherd Center.
To learn more about and join the AURC, please visit: -www.accessibilityuserresearchcollective.org
ABOUT SHEPHERD CENTER
Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions.
Interested? Questions? Please contact us at AURC@shepherd.org .