Field of Study:
Optometry / Health Sciences / Assistive Technology
Department:
College of Optometry
Rank of Student:
Sophomore, Junior, Senior
Desired Majors:
All majors welcome. Students on a health sciences track (pre-optometry, pre-OT, pre-med) or planning for graduate school are especially encouraged to apply.
Hours per Week:
10
Compensation Type:
Academic Credit,
Voluntary Experience
Application Deadline:
Contact:
Email Dr. Walter Wu (wu.6239@osu.edu)
Private
Public
Project Description
Open the settings app on your phone and you will find a whole menu most people never touch: a screen reader that speaks everything out loud, magnification, high contrast, voice control. For millions of people with vision loss, those settings are the difference between using a smartphone and not using one. What nobody has figured out yet is which features people actually turn on, and whether that depends on how much vision they have. Someone with mild vision loss might just bump up the font size. Someone who is fully blind might run their entire phone by voice. We are surveying 600 adults, 500 with vision loss and 100 with typical vision, to map that out, and then connecting their answers to eye exam measurements from their medical records. Clinicians will use the results to make better technology recommendations, and app developers will finally have evidence about who needs what.
Prior research experience is not required to join this project. You will be trained to do it with other team members. Day to day, you will meet individuals from clinic and the community, and invite them to take part, schedule remote test sessions, and then sit with participants and walk them through the accessibility features on their phone. Students who stay with the project longer take on data analysis and get involved in writing conference abstracts and papers.
Prior research experience is not required to join this project. You will be trained to do it with other team members. Day to day, you will meet individuals from clinic and the community, and invite them to take part, schedule remote test sessions, and then sit with participants and walk them through the accessibility features on their phone. Students who stay with the project longer take on data analysis and get involved in writing conference abstracts and papers.
Additional Information
The Visual Impairment Research Lab studies how vision loss affects everyday life and how technology can close that gap. The lab is directed by a faculty member who is visually impaired and works with a guide dog, so accessibility is how we work, not just what we study.
You get one-on-one mentoring, reading scientific literature, and support in applying for undergraduate research funding and presenting at the internal or external conferences. Students who contribute substantially are co-authors on presentations and papers. Past undergraduates have completed honors theses and gone on to professional programs.
Learn more: https://u.osu.edu/wulab/
You get one-on-one mentoring, reading scientific literature, and support in applying for undergraduate research funding and presenting at the internal or external conferences. Students who contribute substantially are co-authors on presentations and papers. Past undergraduates have completed honors theses and gone on to professional programs.
Learn more: https://u.osu.edu/wulab/
Required Applicant Information
Email wu.6239@osu.edu, subject line "Undergraduate RA, Digital Accessibility Study," with:
- A short statement on why the project interests you.
- A resume, or a CV
- Expected graduation date.
- A short statement on why the project interests you.
- A resume, or a CV
- Expected graduation date.
Required or Desired Skills
No research experience required.
What we need:
- Available on campus during summer and academic breaks.
- Reliability. Participants are scheduled around you.
- Comfort approaching strangers in clinic and at community events.
- Patience with older adults with disabilities and with people who use technology differently than you do.
- Care with details when entering data.
- Able to run a Zoom or phone session without getting flustered.
Helpful, not expected:
- Familiarity with different accessibility features, such as VoiceOver, TalkBack, or phone magnification settings
- A personal or family connection to disability or assistive technology
What we need:
- Available on campus during summer and academic breaks.
- Reliability. Participants are scheduled around you.
- Comfort approaching strangers in clinic and at community events.
- Patience with older adults with disabilities and with people who use technology differently than you do.
- Care with details when entering data.
- Able to run a Zoom or phone session without getting flustered.
Helpful, not expected:
- Familiarity with different accessibility features, such as VoiceOver, TalkBack, or phone magnification settings
- A personal or family connection to disability or assistive technology
Faculty Member Lead:
Walter Wu
Starting Semester:
Autumn
Length of Project (in semesters):
3