PSY6372 Interview 1 Assignment Instructions
Introduction
In this assignment, you will interview a person who has some disability or impairment, and who is willing to participate in the assignment. This will help you learn firsthand perspectives from people with various needs, and help you to assess from individuals what assistive technology might be beneficial. It is of utmost importance that you follow the instructions for this assignment, avoid any appearance of coercion of those you asked to participate, and assure the individual that they are free to stop the interview at any time.
Instructions
First, identify an individual with any disability or impairment who might benefit from some type of assistive technology.
Second, get their clear permission to participate in this assignment, and clearly explained to them the nature of the assignment, what you are doing, and how this will be used.
Third, this assignment should be undertaken with full confidentiality, and you should not reveal any personally identifying information except any that the individual may give you clear permission to share.
Fourth, explain to the participant the following very clearly, and be sure that they agree and understand:
• This assignment is for a graduate course called “Assistive Technologies in Disability Services” and is in no way considered research. It is solely for my learning experience, but will be shared with the instructor and the class.
• Your name nor any specific identifying information will not be recorded. Be aware that your answers could potentially identify you, so feel free not to answer any of the questions that you feel might violate your confidentiality in a way that you would not want to do.
• Your participation is completely voluntary, and you are free to say “no” at any point if you decide not to participate.
• Even if you do decide to participate, you are free to end the interview at any time.
• If any question makes you feel uncomfortable, feel free to choose not to answer that question, or any question you do not want to answer for any reason.
• Do you have any questions or concerns?
• Knowing this, do you agree to participate in this interview assignment?
Using the answers they give, write a narrative style paper, providing your reader with the summary and details of your interview.
In the first section, you should include the questions and the person’s responses. For the answers the individual gives that are lengthy, feel free to shorten or summarize them. Your paper should be in APA format, however this first section can be presented in something similar to a list form, but do not use bullet points. For example, you might use bold for the question, then paragraph form under that for the answer.
In the second part of the paper, you should write 3 to 4 paragraphs summarizing your impression of the interview and answers, what you learn from it, and how you might benefit from the interview to help others. Additionally, include what assistive technologies you believe are helpful, and what other technologies (whether or not they available – feel free to think of some that might need to be created) would be helpful to the person to assist with various needs.
Remember that assistive technology can often be something that is already available for common use, but used or adapted in an assistive way.
In this last section, review research journal articles providing information on available technologies for this application. Be sure to cite your information properly. Be sure to format your paper in APA current edition, with a title page and reference page(s) properly formatted.
Here are some example questions you might consider:
Can you describe your disability or impairment and how it affects your daily life?
What tools or technologies do you currently use to assist you? Are they effective?
Are there specific tasks or activities that you find particularly challenging?
Have you heard of any assistive technologies that you think might be helpful for you?
How do you feel about the accessibility of technology in general?
Is there anything you wish people understood better about your experience?