• If the respondent has difficulty, says he or she doesn't understand, gives a short or tangential reply, then the interviewer can move to the prompt which is more specific. Hopefully this will be enough to get the participant talking.
• It may not be necessary to ask ALL of the proposed questions. The participant may provide comprehensive information in answering earlier questions which may render some of the other questions redundant.
• Make sure you are really entering the personal/social life world of the participant rather than forcing him or her, perhaps reluctantly, to enter yours.

Recording the Interviews

• Before you conduct your first interview you will need to pick up 2 cassette recorders from the Neil Squire Foundation branch office in your region. You will need to familiarise yourself with their operation prior to conducting interviews.
• Each interview must be recorded on both machines so that we have a back-up tape in case of equipment failure.
• You will also need a power supply and/or batteries for each cassette recorder.
• If you are using mains power you will also need an extension cord with power bar to accommodate both cassette recorders.
• If you are using batteries please make sure they have sufficient charge in them to last for the whole interview.
• You will also need two 90-minute cassette tapes for each interview – one for each machine.
• At the start of each interview conduct a short test to make sure that both you and the participant are being picked up satisfactorily by the cassette recorder. If either are too faint then move the cassette recorder (or external microphone if you are using one) nearer to that person.
• You must remember to turn over the cassettes in both machines at the end of side A in order to capture the entire interview.
• At the end of the interview label each cassette “Neil Squire Foundation Literacy study” and add the participant's code # and the date of the interview.

Mailing Instructions

• Mail both cassette tapes from each interview via Canada Post “Express Post” to Tim Readman, Project Manager.
• Please mail them on the day after the interview at the latest.
• Please pack the tapes in a padded/bubble mailer and mark the outside ‘Fragile’.
• The following information will be sent by each interviewer after each interview via email to Tim Readman, Project Manager, for reference purposes. This will be kept in a secure place.
  
     Interview ID #:
     Respondent Name
     Age: Gender:
     Address:
     Phone:
     E-mail:
     General description of disability: (Based on the clients own description)
  
  
• Once you get confirmation that this e-mail has been received you must delete it from your ‘sent mail’ and ‘trash/recycle’ mailboxes

Contact Information:

Tim Readman, Project Manager, #323-916 West Broadway,
Vancouver, BC,
V5Z 1K7.
E - MAIL: tim@timreadman.com
PHONE: (604) 874-8895
FAX: (604) 874-8695

Neil Squire Foundation HQ and BC Regional Office
Suite 220 - 2250 Boundary Road
Burnaby, BC 35M 3Z3