O&M research survey and chance to win two Gen 2 Meta Glasses
Anne Ward
One of my friends and colleagues, professor Nicholas Giudice (you may recall the awesome keynote speech he delivered at the 2025 Accessing STEM in Higher Education workshop!), is leading a national research survey of O&M specialists. He asked me to share this opportunity with my network. Please see his message and attached flyer below.
Best,
Stacy Branham
--
Hello,
My name is Nicholas Giudice, a Professor in the VEMI Lab at the University of Maine leading an NIH-sponsored research project to develop a new accessible navigation app for blind travelers called MultiNav. What is different about MultiNav from other solutions is that it is designed to complement O&M training and skill development by supporting both route navigation and multisensory map access in a single smartphone interface. I am reaching out to you because as an O&M professional you are uniquely suited to provide critical input to guide the R&D of our project (and future tech).
As a blind researcher who has worked in this field for over 25 years—and as a lifelong client of O&M training—I am very aware that technology only succeeds when it builds upon the foundational mobility skills you teach. Too often, "solutions" are designed in a vacuum without input from the professionals who understand the ground-level challenges of navigation.
As such, we are seeking the expertise of O&M specialists to take a brief survey to identify the primary hurdles faced when teaching clients to navigate new outdoor environments. Your input will be critical for guiding development of our new spatial learning tool (see attached research flyer).
How you can help:
- Participation: We would be honored if you could dedicate 20–30 minutes to complete our survey.
- Incentive: In appreciation of your time, you will be entered into a raffle to win one of two pairs of Gen 2 Meta Glasses.
- Distribution: feel free to share the survey with other O&Ms who might be interested.
The direct link to the survey is:
https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIy9awGq5zVWpvg
Thank you for your time and for the vital work you do. I am happy to discuss this project further or answer any questions you may have.
Best regards,
Dr. Nicholas Giudice
---