Orientation and Mobility

 

When your child has been declared legally blind by an ophthalmologist or optometrist contact your local CSE/CPSE (Committee for Special Education/Committee for Preschool Special Education) to inquire about services that will be provided for your child. If you do not know the CSE/CPSE of your district, contact the teacher or special needs coordinator at your child's school and schedule a meeting with the teacher and CPSE/CSE.

 

Some school boards have their own orientation and mobility instructor on staff. However, most contract with outside agencies. After an initial assessment has been performed (which may involve some discussion with you) an IEP (Individualized Education Program) is written by the instructor which outlines the goals and areas of instruction necessary for the child. Amount of remaining vision, age, cognitive level and travel ability are all determining factors for the amount of services your child will receive. Independence is the long term goal of all orientation and mobility programs. 

 

 

1.     Integrate O&M naturally into a variety of everyday contexts. Your child should use their cane as often as possible—not just during the time they are with their instructor. When leaving the house, your child should pick up their cane as naturally as they put on their shoes.

2.     Be in communication with your child’s O&M instructor, and keep up to date with what is being taught.

3.     Learn the techniques yourself or ask the instructor the key elements of each technique so that you are better able to reinforce the skills at home.

4.     Keep in mind that mobility is something that needs to be worked on every day. Your child’s instructor cannot be with them every day. If it is difficult to set aside time to take your child out to practice, insist they practice at home. Mobility is a lifelong skill. To be independent your child must be able to perform their skills accurately and safely. 

5.     Take your child out on errands and allow them to practice their skills (you may have to allow yourself some extra time). If your child has been to a store/restaurant many times before, let them walk around with their cane. Teach them about the different areas of a store if you take them there often (e.g. grocery stores are organized a certain way—let the child find the produce).

6.     Insist that your child use their cane when in public (don’t always rely on a sighted guide). This gives the child an opportunity to practice and reinforces to the child that they need the cane even when in the company of others.

7.     Foster independence and responsibility—it is up to the child to keep track of their cane. He/she should keep it in one place at home, and remember to bring it with them EVERYWHERE.

8.     Teach your child not to accept excessive special treatment. Your child should politely refuse aid (“No thank you. I’m okay.”) if they know their way. Others should not apologize if your child has performed a skill incorrectly resulting in a collision.

9.     Don’t always “rescue” your child—allow them to bump into things if you know they won’t get seriously injured from it. Sometimes skills are learned best after a little bump instead of constant verbal repetition stating the proper way.

10. Explain environmental details to your child as you are traveling, even in the car.

11. Name the streets in your neighborhood and tell your child the significant stores, restaurants, etc., on each street and how they relate to each other.

12. Explain traffic movement and intersections to your child even if they are too young to cross independently.

13. Educate your child on appropriate behavior and communication in public (e.g. “excuse me” if they bump into someone). It is also important that your child learn to politely educate the public about blindness.

14. Teach your child about different modes of public transportation. Ride a bus or subway if possible.

15. ALWAYS use positional terms (right and left) not “here” and “there”. Teach your child to ask for directions using these terms.

16. DO NOT teach your child to count steps. This is a common misconception of the skills used by the visually impaired. Counting steps is a time consuming and inaccurate mode of travel. Ask your O&M instructor about the proper way to judge distance.

17. Make mobility fun. Allow your child to name their cane. Ask your O&M instructor for fun games you can play to teach your child important concepts.

 

 

Q: WHY IS ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY IMPORTANT FOR MY CHILD?

A: Orientation and mobility is a set of skills taught to help your child become aware of the space around them and to move safely, comfortably and independently within that space. The following are some of the key elements to O&M: concept building, body and spatial awareness, sensory development, maximizing residual vision, systematic searching, route planning, map reading and soliciting aid. All of these skills provide your child with increased independence and confidence.

Concept building provides your child with the basic knowledge required to move safely in the environment. These can include: positional concepts such as right, left, behind, in front; body concepts such as the body parts and their relation to each other; and environmental concepts such as the movement of traffic and setup of a block.

Body awareness teaches your child about parts of the body, their function and their spatial relationship to each other.

Spatial awareness teaches your child how far away two or more objects are from one another. 

Sensory development teaches your child to be aware of the sounds, smells and textures of objects around them and to relate that information to a specific place or area.

Maximizing residual vision is the use of scanning, tracing and tracking to optimize your child’s remaining vision. Scanning is the movement of the head and eyes to search for objects. Tracing is the ability to visually follow lines in the environment, such as hedge lines, roof lines or baseboards. Tracking is the ability to visually follow a moving object. 

Systematic searching teaches your child how to search an area in an organized and efficient way using the eyes or hands.

Route planning teaches your child to outline and safely travel from point A to point B using landmarks, clues and cues from the environment.

Map reading teaches your child how to transfer information from a diagram, map or model into the real environment. To use this skill effectively your child must be able to understand the use of symbols as representations of real objects. Cardinal directions north, east, south and west are taught as part of map reading skills.

Soliciting Aid teaches your child how to safely and effectively ask for assistance when traveling. O&M instruction also teaches your child some important social skills such as: appropriate public behavior, effective speaking and listening skills and eliminating “typical” behaviors such as rocking and eye poking.

A: Not everyone enjoys using the white cane, and it is true that not every visually impaired individual requires the use of the cane. However, the white cane acts as a probe, bumper and identification tool that will ultimately keep your child safe. For each new child seen, the orientation and mobility instructor performs an in-depth evaluation of their visual, cognitive and travel abilities. Once the instructor determines that a child will benefit from the use of a white cane and has the cognitive abilities to learn the skills involved, it is important that you reinforce the importance of the cane to your child. In return, your child will see it as a positive tool rather than a social hindrance. 

 A: Like white canes, dogs can be of great benefit to many people, however not every visually impaired individual should have a guide dog. As with any animal, a guide dog needs a great deal of care. Food, water, exercise and a place (and time) to relieve have to be provided on a regular and consistent basis. Visits to the veterinarian may not be reimbursed by the guide dog school. Guide dogs require further care, however, as they need to be worked on a regular basis to maintain their skills. For most schools, the minimum age of a dog guide user is 16 years. However, because of the limited travel required in a high school and the high number of distractions, many schools will not provide a dog to an applicant still attending high school. Most importantly, your child must be able to travel independently without a dog.  The dog helps to navigate the travel area, but only the dog handler knows the destination. Your child must be able to use their white cane safely and independently to travel around their neighborhood, cross streets and ride public transportation before applying for a dog. If your child states that he/she would like to get a dog in the future, it is important to learn their white cane skills now.

Q: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY CHILD WHEN THEY ARE ON LESSONS?

 A: The orientation and mobility instructor is fully responsible for your child when they are out on lessons. At the beginning of each school year, the instructor needs your permission before driving your child into the community.

 Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD PRACTICE THEIR SKILLS?

A: Like any acquired skill, orientation and mobility requires practice. Your child should be using their cane everywhere they go. While many visually impaired individuals do not use their cane while inside their home, your child should be protecting themselves in some manner each time they take a step. It is necessary for your child to use the cane as much as possible and for you to reinforce the concepts and skills taught by the instructor. Keep in mind that the skills being taught will keep your child safe for the rest of their lives. They are taught so that your child can be as independent as possible.