Valerie Morash

Postdoctoral Researcher

SKERI

PhD in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley MA in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley MEng in Electrical Engineering, MIT BS in Electrical Engineering, MIT BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT

Val’s research focused on haptic perception, in individuals with and without vision. She also studied accessibility for people with visual impairments. Her underlying interest was in how human cognition and knowledge is shaped by the senses.

Links:
Personal Website

Publications

Sheffield, R. M., D’Andrea, F. M., Morash, V. S., & Chatfield, S. . (2022). How Many Braille Readers? Policy, Politics, and Perception. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 1-12. 10.1177/0145482X211071125 (Original work published 2022)

Lei, D. ., Stepien, N. N., Morash, V. S., & Mackeben, M. . (2019). Effect of modulating braille dot height on reading regressions. PLOS ONE, 14, 1-17. 10.1371/journal.pone.0214799

Urqueta Alfaro, A., Meinz, P., Morash, S. V., Lei, D., Kronberg, J., Lara, S., Jian, S., & Moore, M. (2019). Applicability and attachment findings of the Strange Situation Paradigm in infants with visual impairment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 40(6), 835–849. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21817

Urqueta Alfaro, A., Morash, V. S., Lei, D. ., & Orel-Bixler, D. (2018). Joint engagement in infants and its relationship to their visual impairment measurements. Infant Behavior and Development, 50, 311-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.05.010

Morash, V. S., Siu, Y.-T. ., Miele, J. ., Hasty, L. ., & Landau, S. . (2015). Guiding novice web workers in making image descriptions using templates. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS), 7, 12. (Original work published 2015)

Morash, V. S., Pensky, A. E. C., Tseng, S. T., & Miele, J. . (2014). Effects of using multiple hands and fingers on haptic performance in individuals who are blind. Perception, 43, 569–588. (Original work published 2014)

Morash, V. S., Pensky, A. E. C., & Miele, J. . (2013). Effects of using multiple hands and fingers on haptic performance. Perception, 42, 759–777. (Original work published 2013)

Projects

  • Regressions in Braille Reading
    Completed
    Regressions in Braille Reading

    This project explores regressions (movements to re-read text) in braille reading. The image on the right plots the braille reading finger movements in blue and regressions in black.

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  • Tactile Graphics Helper (TGH)
    Completed
    Tactile Graphics Helper (TGH)

    Tactile graphics use raised lines, textures, and elevations to provide individuals with visual impairments access to graphical materials through touch. Tactile graphics are particularly important for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where educational content is often conveyed using diagrams and charts. However, providing a student who has a visual impairment with a tactile graphic does not automatically provide the student access to the graphic’s educational content. Instead, the student may struggle to decipher subtle differences between textures or…

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