Microsoft Research Study Participation opportunity

This is a call for interviewees for a research project being conducted by Microsoft Research investigating the nature and extent of participation of people with disabilities in microtask/crowdsourcing labor marketplaces (e.g., Amazon Mechanical Turk, CrowdFlower, MobileWorks, Samasource, TaskRabbit, etc.). Although previous knowledge of microtask/crowdsourcing work is not a prerequisite for participating in this study, we are particularly interested in participants who have considered, tried, or actively do crowdsourcing work as full-time or part-time paid employment.

This project aims to gain insight into the following questions through interviews, surveys, and participant observation:

• What are the social implications for people with disabilities who are crowdworking?
• Does crowdworking offer opportunities that expand access to potential jobs for people with disabilities?
• How does crowdworking change, in any way, how people with disabilities see themselves with relation to the labor market (identity)?
• What does crowdwork mean to people with disabilities?

Interviews can be conducted via Skype, phone call, or on campus at a Puget Sound location (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond), and will last about 30-60 minutes. Participants will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card as a gratuity for their participation.

To qualify for this study, you must:

• be a U.S. resident
• be aged 18 or over
• self-identify as disabled (including sensory, physical, intellectual, emotional, and/or developmental disabilities) OR work in a role in which you provide job-placement coaching or similar services to people with disabilities

Please respond to [email protected] if you would like to schedule an interview or request additional information. In your email please address: 1) how you fit the eligibility criteria and 2) if you have ever engaged with crowdwork.

We will also be scheduling interviews through January and early February.