Invitation to Join Advisory Zoom Panel on Guide Dog Interaction Scenarios
BU Team
Dear Guide Dog Community Members,
We are a team of mobility and accessibility researchers, Professor Eshed Ohn-Bar at Boston University and Professor Hernisa Kacorri from University of Maryland, College Park, working on a project focused on capturing real-world interactions between guide dog users and their dogs. This email is being sent from an official Boston University email that can only be obtained through official employment.
We are organizing an advisory Zoom session focused on designing realistic, real-world scenarios involving guide dog users and their dogs. The goal is to help ensure that future AI systems better reflect how guide dog users and their dogs navigate everyday mobility situations.
We are inviting guide dog users, guide dog trainers, and mobility professionals to share feedback on proposed scenarios such as street crossings, construction zones, locating objects (for example waste bins) , and navigating crowded pedestrian spaces. We are especially interested in insights based on lived and professional experience: what tends to be overlooked, misunderstood, or missing, and what should be prioritized in future data collection.
This is not a research study or experiment. Rather, it is an advisory discussion intended to help us engineer inclusive and realistic scenarios for future work.
Proposed times (Eastern Time):
● Sunday, March 1, 12:00–1:00 PM ET
● Monday, March 2, 12:00–1:00 PM ET
● Monday, March 2, 7:00–8:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour (Zoom)
Due to scheduling constraints, we are only able to offer the three session times listed above. You may join one session. Please let us know if you are available and which option works best for you by responding to this email, or mobi...@bu.edu.
Advisors will receive a $75 Visa gift card as a thank you for their time and expertise.
Please note: after the signature at the end of this email, there is an optional section with brief background questions and acknowledgment preferences. You are welcome to review or skip this section.
We would be honored to have your expertise and lived experience guide this effort. Thank you for considering this invitation.
Sincerely,
The research teams at Boston University and University of Maryland, College Park
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Optional background information
If you choose to join, you are welcome (but not required) to share a few brief background details to help us understand the range of perspectives represented on the panel. Any information you choose to share will be used only for planning purposes. For those who opt to share, we may also report aggregate, non-identifying information about the overall composition of the group (such as roles or experience ranges) in future publications or presentations. Individual responses will not be reported.
You may skip any question you prefer not to answer.
What best describes your role? (You may select more than one.)
● Guide dog user
● Guide dog trainer
● Orientation & Mobility (O&M) specialist
● Guide dog organization staff
● Blind or low vision advocate
● Researcher
● Other (please specify)
How many years have you worked with or used guide dogs?
● 0–2 years
● 3–5 years
● 6–10 years
● 10+ years
What type of environment do you primarily live or work in? (You may select more than one.)
● Dense urban areas
● Suburban areas
● Rural areas
● College or university campuses
● Public transportation-focused environments
● Other (please specify)
Have you used assistive technologies alongside a guide dog? (Select all that apply.)
● GPS or navigation apps
● Aira
● Object recognition apps (for example, Seeing AI or Be My Eyes)
● Smart canes or wearable devices
● No assistive technology
● Other (please specify)
Acknowledgment preference (optional):
● You may include my name in acknowledgments
● Please do not include my name
You may reply with as much or as little of the above information as you wish.