Orientation & Mobility

To be independent in the world, a child must learn to be mobile. Whether at home, in the classroom, or in the neighborhood, a child must be able to orient to one’s environment and travel independently from one place to another. The child must see the world through all senses. Orientation and mobility specialists from the Foundation work individually with the child in each of these areas.

What is Orientation and Mobility (O & M)?
This is probably one of the most asked questions and you will get as many answers as there are mobility instructors. The definition FBC uses is that "orientation" is knowing where you are and "mobility" is the ability to get where you want to go. That's our simplest answer but it belies the complexity of skills necessary to travel safely and independently in any environment. Orientation and mobility will be different for each student as the instruction is tailored to meet their specific needs and desires.

Who should receive Orientation and Mobility Instruction?
IDEA is the governing law that determines all specials education services. According to IDEA all children with a vision impairment should be evaluated to determine the need for Orientation and Mobility instruction. Children should be re-evaluated every three years or when they change schools, neighborhoods, or if a change in their vision should occur. The evaluation will determine if the individual demonstrates difficulty traveling safely and independently in all appropriate environments. You would not expect a five year old to be independently using mass transit systems but you would expect that they be able to cross quiet neighborhood streets by themselves. The amount of residual vision is not as important as how well they travel.

What do people who receive Orientation and Mobility instruction learn?
The student learns all the skills necessary to travel safely and independently in any environment. This could mean traveling independently on the school campus, taking the local mass transit system to their job, going on a cruise, jogging in the park, or flying out to visit relatives. Here are some sample Orientation and Mobility and mobility skills for various ages:

--Birth-3 years:  Exploring the environment, purposeful movement within the home and other natural settings, developing responsibility in the home, understanding of body and spatial concepts

--Preschool:  Continued environmental awareness, improved use of residual vision for travel purposes, expanded understanding of body, spatial and positional concepts, introduction o the long cane or low vision devices, improved motor planning skills

--Kindergarten-3rd grade:  Independent campus travel, introduction to residential concepts and beginning residential travel skills, improved use of the long cane or low vision aids, increased use of directional skills and laterality, introduction to maps, improved visual tracking and scanning, improved auditory skills

--4-6th grade:  Expanded residential travel skills, introduction to community skills (soliciting and refusing aid, following directions to get to a specific location), introduction to the city numbering system, compass directions, improved consistency in use of the long cane and low vision aids.

--Middle School/Junior High:  Expanded orientation skills and use of compass directions and numbering systems, expanded community based instruction, , introduction to traffic-light controlled intersections, introduction to mass and para-transit systems, expanded use of maps

--High school:  Advanced cane and low vision aid skills, advanced traffic-light controlled intersection skills, advanced use of mass and para- transit systems, drop-off or get ost lessons, skills related to transition from high school to college or work

--Children with additional disabilities:  Purposeful movement in their daily routine, navigation in their walker or wheelchair, community-based skills, supervised independence, environmental understanding, route travel

What is the purpose of the long cane?
The long cane simply provides protection while the person with low vision or no vision travels to their destinations. Many people with limited vision use a cane to provide protection when their vision is unreliable. Others use a cane for identification purposes so that others will know they have a vision difficulty. For people who are blind the movement of the cane as they walk provides information about the environment in front of them. The length of the cane provides information 11/2 to 3 strides in front providing ample reaction time. Children using canes are learning the techniques necessary to be safe independent travelers. They do not always have perfect technique but they develop it over time. It is important for them to travel independently. This reinforces the skills they are using

Why can't they just use a guide dog?
A guide dog is another tool. If the user does not have the skills to travel independently a dog will not solve the problem. Also, if a person is allergic to dogs having a guide dog in the house would not be an option. For people who have the skills to travel independently, the decision to use a dog or a cane is a personal one. There are many guide dog schools throughout the country. Each has a slightly different focus or philosophy allowing the potential guide dog user to choose an agency that fits their criteria. The person who chooses to use a dog instead of a cane makes a commitment to care for the dog and use it every day. The dog cannot become a family pet or the joint responsibility of the entire family. If these things happen, the dog can lose its training and be of no value to the user. This often why children, if they have good travel skills, do not use guide dogs. Trying to tell 1,500 high school students not to pet the dog because it is working, exercising it, feeding it, relieving it, brushing it and using it on a daily basis can be a tall order while trying to juggle school, choose a college or vocation, and have a social life. That is not to say that there are not some children who can use guide dogs. However, the choice is not an easy one. Whether a person chooses to use a cane or a guide dog, if they are traveling independently they have the same level of independent skills.