With the Braille Tutor comparative user study successfully set up at the Mathru School for the Blind, TechBridgeWorld continued to keep in touch with the school via monthly phone call check-ins and e-mail. Furthermore, the Mathru Project Manager updated the Braille Tutor usage log monthly so that TechBridgeWorld could track the school’s progress.
Like with any long-distance relationship/partnership/collaboration, it’s important to be mindful of your partner’s constraints, such as time. For most of the study, Bangalore was 9.5 hours ahead of Pittsburgh so the TechBridgeWorld Project Manager conveyed her love for Mathru by conducting check-ins before business hours. Sometimes a call would take place at 7:00am EST so that the Mathru Project Manager join at 4:30pm IST.
Also, down-time is inevitable. September 2015 was a busy month for Mathru due to examinations before the school went on break in October for the religious holidays. As a result, the teachers and students did not use the Braille Tutor devices for nearly two months. However, when the school resumed after the break, the teachers and students continued to use the devices and update the usage log. This demonstrates the successful integration of the Braille Tutor devices in the school’s curriculum. More importantly, it also demonstrates Mathru’s ownership and commitment to the Braille Tutor user study.
Compassionate Engineering 