Telecommunications and Developmentally Disabled People: Evaluations Of,Audio Conferencinv

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 227 819 IR 010 611 AUTHOR Johansen, Robert; And Others TITLE Telecommunications and Developmentally Disabled People: Evaluations of,Audio Conferencinv. Personal Computers, Computer Conferencing, Electronic Mail. INSTITUTION Institute for the Future, Menlo Park, Calif.; New. York Univ., N.Y. Alternate Media Center. SPONS AGENCY Rehabilitation Services Administration (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Jul 81 GRANT 54-P-71362/2/2-01 NOTE. 230p. PUB TYPE Reports - Research/Technical (143) . Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCR1PTORS Computer Oriented Programs; Delivery Systems; Demonstration Programs; *Developmental Diiabilities; *Human Services; Information Networks; *Microcomputers; Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; Surveys; *Telecommunications; *Teleconferencing IDENTIFIERS Electronic Mail; *Vermont ABSTRACT Aimed at decision makers who will choose whether and how to implement telecommunications efforts in the human services, ihis final evaluation report describes an'intensive demonstration effort, which was conducted by the Alternate Media Center of New York University from July 1979 to September 1980 to show how various telecommunications media, including teleconferencing and microcomputerS, might benefit developmentally disabled children and adults. Most of the applications described were focused in rural Vermont, although two involved participants in other states. , Discuesions of activities in Vermont using audio conferencing, personal computers, and computer conferencing, include a description of Vermont Telecommunications .Incorporated, which was created after the completion oi the project to promote telecommunications technology for the developmentally disabled and those with other handicapping conditions. A section on national activities describes an electronic mail network and severaltelecommunications consultation projects. Overall project conclusions and policy recommendations for human service funding agencies conclude the report. Eight appendices include data colleCtioninstruments and specific data collection results. (LMM) ***************************t****************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************c*********** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER .IERIC) ddcument has boon reproduced u received from tn. person or organization originating it. Minor changes have heen made to improve repriiduction quality. PoMts of view or opinions stated in this document do not necesuirily represent official NIE position or policy. Telecommunications and Developmentay Disabled People: Evaluationcs of . Audio Conférencing Personal Computers Computer Conferencing Electronic Mail by Robert Johansen, Barbara McNeal, and Michael Nyhan Institute for the Future 2740 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park, California 94025 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY July 1981 Patricia E. Rogow R-50 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." 41.r Ihis report prepared under HEW Grant No. 54-P-71362/2/2-01. institute for the Future was a subcontractor of the Alternate Media Center at New York University's School of the Arts. Editor: James Ma Hood Art Director: Ellen Margaret Silva Word Processing: Alexis Maktirevich © 1981 Institute for the Future CONTENTS Summary' Acknowledgments 5 Introduction 9 Part One: VERMONT ACTIVITIES 19 Prologue to Part One 21 Chapter I: Audio Conferencing 31 Consumer and Community Advocacy Groups 33 Develop Mental Disability Professionals 54 State Agencies 69 Chapter II: Personal Computers 93 Chapter III: Computer Conferencing 115, Chapter IV: Vermont Telecommunications, Inc:Toward a Telecommunicat ions Cooperat ive 133 Part Two: NATIONAL ACTIVITIES 139 Chapter V: Electronic Mail. 141 Chapter VI: Telecommunications Consultation 159 Part Three: CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS . 167 Appendices: 1: Consumer and Community Groups' Evaluation Data 183 2: Professional Groups' Evaluation Data 202 3: Content Analysis of Audio Conferences 208 4: Content Analysis of Personal Computer Transcripts 215 5: Computer Conferencing Evaluation Data 218 6: Electronic Mail Evaluation Data 223 7: Publications and Presentations 230 8: Project Advisory Board 235 4 SUMMARY Telecommunications can make a difference in the lives of developmentally disabled people. As'the results of the intensive demonstration effort reported here make clear, however, these media do pot provide simple solutions for the problems of the developmental disabilities world. The demonstrations,reveal a gradual process of testing and fitting, trial and error. When the fit was nurtured carefully, telecommunciations emerged as a practical and valuable tool. Where the fit was not considered carefully, or was not quite right, the demonstration lost its vigor. There are lessons here for decision makers and implemen- 0, ters alike. The results of the demonstration to date can be summarized in two words--modest success. Most of the applications were successful, but some were more so than others. Only one application was clearly unsuccessful. _ From July 1979 to September 1980, the Alternate Media Center (AMC) conducted this major demonstration to show how various telecommunications media might benefit developmentally disabled (DD) Children and adults. Most of the applications were focused in rural Vermont, although two involved participants in other states. AMC began with a belief that such media would have to meet three criteria if they were to be of practical assistance to DD people: They would have to prove effective, affordable, and accessible. However effectiveness is defined, the minimum requirement is that use of telecommunications should be closely tied to the needs of DD people and those, who serve them. To be affordable, the use of telecommunications must be within the financial means of the users. To be accessible, the opportunity for use must be well within the reach of potential users. This document is a final evaluation report on the demonstration, beginning from those three general criteria. -2- Understanding the organizational style of AMC is key to understanding what happeried in the demonstration. AMC began with an attempt to understand the needs of the DD community, without specific notionsof which technologies would be used in the demonstration. AMCN style is unabashedly intuitive.It places heavy stress on users themselves deciding what sort of system they would have, on users making the demonstration happen. In a real sense, our attempt to describe the AMC style is an after-the-fact attempt to impose a logic upon a basically intuitive process. The evaluation approach has attempted to take the AMC style into account, to provide practical results without freezing the obvious vigor of the demonstration evaluated. For most-user groups, the demonstration was definitely effective. Of course, the specifics of what constituted "effectiveness" for each group varied considerably. And effectiveness was difficult to measure precisely, even when.users were sure it was there. The technologies employed were down-to-earth affordable. The audio conferencing equipment built heavily on the existing telephone network, minimizing the need for costly new technologies. The computer-based demonstration was more expensive, but still in a modest cost range that should continue to decrease as computer costs decline. For all the applications, the personnel costs for organizing and supporting the effort were much higher than the cost of the equipment. One of the primary reasons AMC selected the telephone network as a starting point was its ubiquity. Telephones are almost everywhere, of course, even in rural Vermont. The quality of service certainly varies, but the basic access is good. The applications involving computers, however, were less accessible. There are also broader issues of accessibility, moving beyond whether a system is technically accessible,to whether it is perceived as accessible by potential user groups. The latter point is more difficult to assess, but is at least as important. The perceived accessibility seemed quite high, but there were exceptions. -3- The findings reported here result from analysis of interviews and questionnaires with users, from audio tapes, from computer transcripts, usage data, and cost figures. We present qualitative as well as quantitative information, with more of the former than the latter.In short, these were demonstrations with more emphasis on making them work than on making them measurable. Audio conferencing (telephone conferencing) was selected as an appropriate technology for the expressed needs of the Vermont people and the financial constraints of the time. Over a dozen consumer, educational, and service groups were involved;. they used the various conferencing systems about 14 hours per month from November .1979 to December 1980. The reactions of users were mostly positive, as were the appar- ent impacts on their organizations. There was considerable varlation froM group to group as to how they used audio conferencing, but we identified three usage styles: the presentation, the informal discussion, and the structured discussion. All three styles were well represented during the demonstration period. The audio "bridge" that was implemented during the project currently connects" as many as 14 different locations via special phone

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