What is Orientation and Mobility?
O&M teaches movement with a purpose. Purposeful movement may not occur naturally for children with a visual impairment. O&M skills enable child to safely explore and interact with the world, including home, school and community. When children understand their environment they feel safe. O&M instruction provides real experiences essential to all children. The skills learned reduce isolation by giving students a “common ground” for interacting with family, friends and future employees.
Allied Instructional Services (AIS) is known for providing quality educational and support services to individuals who require Vision Services. As AIS expands its service programs the Director of Vision and Orientation/Mobility (O&M) Services, is available to come to your area to assess the needs of your students who are visually impaired and need to conquer travel challenges.
Definition
"Orientation and mobility services” means services provided to blind or visually impaired children by qualified personnel to enable those children to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community; and includes travel training instruction, and teaching children the following, as appropriate: (34 CFR 300.34(c)(7))
- Spatial and environmental concepts and use of information received by the senses (e.g., sound, temperature, and vibrations) to establish, maintain, or regain orientation and line of travel (e.g., using sound at a traffic light to cross the street);
- To use the long cane or service animal to supplement visual travel skills or as a tool for safely negotiating the environment for students with no available travel vision;
- To understand and use remaining vision and distance low vision aids; and
Other concepts, techniques, and tools.
Educational Support Services:
- Provide Orientation and Mobility evaluations
- Fosters understanding and acceptance of visually impaired students by administrators, general education teachers, related service providers, peers and parents by conducting staff developments, being an advocate and teaching self-advocacy to students.
- Provide Direct or Consultative Educational Services
- Teach students to understand and use remaining vision and distance low vision aids.
- Teach spatial and environmental concepts and use of information received by the senses to establish, maintain, or regain orientation and line of travel.
- Interact with parents and other team members, crossing various personal and professional disciplines and environments.
