Special Populations
Orientation and Mobiliity
Orientation and Mobility Instruction
Orientation and mobility instruction includes skills specifically taught to the visually impaired population for safe and efficient travel in their environment. It involves teaching and/or reinforcing concept development, sensory skill development, motor development, and environmental and community awareness. Advanced cane travel in residential, semi-business, and business areas are taught in a one-on-one teacher/pupil ratio for safety. These skills are taught at various locations within the community as necessary to provide meaningful instruction in realistic learning environments. Lessons are sequential and provide instruction geared to the student's assessed needs, IEP goals and objectives, functioning level, and motivational level. Overall, O&M enables visually impaired students to travel independently at his or her highest potential with proficiency, safety, and confidence in both familiar and unfamiliar environments.
Orientation and Mobility training is provided by qualified service providers who have received specialized training, either through a graduate or undergraduate university program, or a training program administered by recognized consumer organizations, e.g., the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). As many Orientation and Mobility training programs are rehabilitation oriented and do not provide the required educational training for teacher certification, many O&M providers are unable to qualify for full-time employment as a teacher with public school systems. O&M providers who are hired by most school systems may often have another area of teacher certification (e.g., V.I. resource), or are classified with non-certificated personnel (e.g., speech, occupational, and physical therapists).
Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired
Louisiana Center for the Blind
Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired
Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professional
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