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This research investigated how some travelers who are deafblind can effectively solicit assistance to cross the street, addressing how leaders, mobility specialists, and municipal planners can encourage interventions for safer street crossings. The researcher conducted a quantitative study of 200 street crossings by travelers who are deafblind to determine whether there were relationships among soliciting assistance (assistance-gaining, the dependent variable), the size of a communication card asking for help (an independent variable), and the genders of the traveler and helper (independent variables). The study, supported by the psychology, sociology, and rehabilitation literature, examined the predictive capacity of the independent variables, card size and gender. The experiment was conducted in a typical urban setting, predetermined and defined by the researcher, with the expectation that the findings could be generalizable to similar environments. Predicated on standard techniques in the field of orientation and mobility, collaborators followed a precise alternate protocol for travelers who are deafblind. One male and one female traveler performed 100 street crossings each, alternately using assistance cards of different dimensions: the traditional card with a dimension of three by five inches and another four by eight inches. Correlation coefficients examined the one-to-one relationships among the independent and dependent variables, and a step-wise multiple regression reported on the strength of beta coefficients. The researcher concluded that the card size and the gender of the traveler influenced assistance-gaining; the larger communication card required fewer passersby to obtain assistance, as did the male traveler. However, these variables explained only 10% of the variation in assistance-gaining. Further research is necessary to examine other possible influences such as race, ethnicity, environmental features, and alternate approaches for improving attentional capture.
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Commitee: | |
School: | University of Phoenix |
School Location: | United States -- Arizona |
Source: | DAI-A 68/12, Dissertation Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Special education, Families & family life, Personal relationships, Sociology, Vocational education |
Keywords: | Assistance-gaining, Communication card, Crossing cards, Deaf-blind, Deafblind, Mobility, Street crossing, Travelers |
Publication Number: | 3292689 |
ISBN: | 978-0-549-36082-7 |