ITTATC - Section 2: Methodology

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Section 2: Methodology

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Go back to Section 1: Introduction

Go forward to Section 3: Structured Interview Topics

Sections:

2.1. Instrument

2.2. Participants

2.3. Data Collection Process

2.1 Instrument

The structured interview protocol was developed, in collaboration with CATEA, to complement the literature review and the survey of NAC members. The structured interview consisted of thirty-two questions covering ten separate topics. The interview protocol was pre-tested internally as well as externally. An expert in the field of accessibility served as the external pre-test participant. All interviews were conducted in a 6 week period starting in late May 2001 and ending in June 2001. The structured interview was designed to collect information about the following topics:

Interest in Accessible Design

All participants were asked to provide information about why they became interested in accessibility as a career choice. In addition to providing background information that may aid in the interpretation of the survey data, the question was designed to help identify some of the factors that may lead to an interest in accessible design. Responses to questions in this topic area should assist curriculum developers in understanding what motivates individuals to become interested in accessible design. This information could be helpful in designing course materials that are interesting and that promote long-term retention.

Terminology

Accessibility, as a whole, is still an immature field. As a result, many still disagree on the proper use of terminology, especially if the terms are closely related. A series of questions were asked that were designed to measure the distinctions between two closely related terms. It is important that terminology be defined correctly in all course materials. Data collected under this topic area combined with data from the literature review and data from the NAC survey should assist curriculum developers in defining critical terms and concepts.

Federal Government Regulations

Many in the field are still trying to come to terms with the accessibility-related government regulations. A series of questions were developed to assess the impact of these regulations on the future of accessibility.

Future of Accessible Devices

The goal of accessible design is the development of products and services that are usable by as many people with disabilities as possible and practical. A series of questions were developed in order to develop a vision of how accessibility will be incorporated into products and services of the future.

Accessible Design Process

In order to be effective in developing accessible products and services, accessibility most be considered from the very beginning of a product life cycle. This requires a modification to the current design process of most products and services. A question was asked about what changes might be expected in the design process as a result of the federal regulations.

Future Influences of Accessible Design

While government regulations are currently the most important influences on accessible design, there may be other factors that affect the development of accessible products as well. A question was asked about the factors that are likely to affect accessible design in the future.

Objectives of Accessible Design

In addition to the overarching goal of creating more accessible products, participants were asked about specific goals of accessible design. In particular, the visionaries were asked to comment on what are the most important technical and organizational goals that should be addressed in the near future.

Training Issues

A series of questions about the accessibility training needs of management, product designers, human factors specialists, marketing, sales, and technical assistance personnel were asked. The visionaries were asked to comment on the skills and knowledge that would be required of job candidates in the near future. Information gathered under this topic area should aid curriculum developers in targeting the training needs of specific job categories.

Barriers of Accessible Design

The visionaries were asked to discuss potential barriers to accessible design. Organizational, informational, financial and legal barriers were addressed specifically. In order to facilitate the development of a viable accessibility program within a company, barriers specific to the company must first be identified. Information was collected about specific types of barriers to assist curriculum developers in defining common barriers and identifying potential solutions.

Coordination with Stakeholders

One of the most difficult challenges in the accessibility field is fostering productive communication between the stakeholders. A series of questions was asked about coordination activities that should take place between the disability community, government and industry. The questions under this topic area should assist curriculum developers in identifying particular communication bottlenecks so that effective interventions can be designed.

Finally, the visionaries were given the opportunity to provide additional comments at the end of the interview. Some visionaries used this opportunity to clarify their answers to previous questions or to provide commentary on topics that were not specifically addressed in the structured interview protocol.

2.2 Participants

A total of thirty-two visionaries were contacted about participation in the structured interview. Out of those contacted, a total of sixteen participants agreed to take part in the study. For the purpose of this study, a visionary was defined as someone likely to be in touch with or in a position to influence the direction that the accessibility field is heading in the next three to five years. Visionaries were identified by reviewing the relevant literature, attending conferences and reviewing the work of leaders in the field, and by peer nomination. In general, if two or more visionaries could agree on the qualifications of a potential interview candidate then the candidate was included in the list of visionaries. Prior to performing each interview, background data were collected to document each respondent's qualifications and so that the list of questions could be partially tailored to each interviewee.

Five of the interviewees worked for the private sector, five interviewees were consultants, and two interviewees worked for non-profit organizations. Of the remaining participants, one worked for a major university, one for a research institute, one for a U. S. governmental agency, and one for a foreign governmental agency (Great Britain).

The participants from the private sector were managers or architects involved in accessible design and product development. The consultants provided consulting services related to improving product accessibility to various public and private agencies. Of the interviewees associated with the non-profit organizations, one participant worked for a foundation involved in the development of accessible technology and the other participant worked in the area of accessible media.

Five of the participants were founders or members of committees dedicated to accessible design issues, and two were involved in coalitions that help develop accessibility guidelines. Almost all interviewees had published or presented papers regarding accessibility or universal design issues.

2.3 Data Collection Process

Each visionary was contacted about the structured interview via electronic mail. Those expressing an interest in taking part in the study were called and an interview time was scheduled. Prior to beginning the interview, the interviewer explained the purpose of the structured interview and asked the participants permission to record the interview session. The session was recorded so that a transcript could be created. The completed transcript was sent to the interviewee upon request. One interviewee made corrections and additions to the provided transcript. The corrections were incorporated into the final results.

An action response model of data collection was utilized. The interviewer was instructed to follow up on any topics that might have direct bearing on accessibility issues that would be of interest to ITTATC. Each interview lasted about one hour with some interviews lasting as long as ninety minutes at the interviewee's request. Appendix A of this report contains the structured interview protocol that was used for this study. The interviews generated over four hundred pages of transcripts.

After data collection, five analysts were provided a complete transcription of all sixteen interviews. Each analyst was instructed to summarize the answers of each participant for each question. In addition, each analyst was instructed to document areas of agreement and areas of diversity by recording majority and minority opinions. Multiple analysts were used because of the amount of the data that was generated by this study and to reduce the effects of interpreter bias. The findings of each analyst were combined into the composite view that is documented in this report.

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