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"Great Apps for the visually impaired" See Events page for more details
See the Events Page for activities this month!
Welcome to Orientation and Mobility On-line Learning
As you can see, Orientation and Mobility are just one piece of the puzzle that makes up the Expanded Core Curriculum for visually impaired students.
What is Orientation and Mobility?
An Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist provides training that is designed to develop or relearn the skills and concepts a blind or visually impaired person needs to travel safely and independently through his or her environment.
Orientation and mobility skills should begin to be developed in infancy starting with basic body awareness and movement, and continuing on into adulthood as the individual learns skills that allow him to navigate his world efficiently, effectively, and safely.
Movement is a building block for learning. As a child explores his world and has physical contact with it, learning takes place. Children with visual impairments typically need encouragement to explore their surroundings. To them the world may be a startling and unpredictable place, or it may not be very motivating.
It does not matter how young or old s/he is, how physically active or inactive, how much vision s/he has, or how smart a child s/he is, there are probably skills that s/he needs to develop or refine in the area of orientation and mobility.
About me
Hello! I'm Rochelle Exelby and provide Orientation and Mobility services for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
My goal is to provide instruction which will enable children with visual impairments to reach their highest level of independence whether at home or at school.
I am excited to connect with you again after some time off. I hope this website can be a useful tool for families and students with visual impairments to gain further skills, develop connections with other community resources, and continue to increase independence in a variety of areas.
Some examples of school-based instruction:
Some examples of school-based instruction:
Room familiarization: The O&M Specialist not only familiarizes the student with various rooms in their schedule but also teaches the student how to self-familiarize and how to "understand" spatial relationships within the given environment as well as cues and clues within the space.
Routes within the school: The O&M Specialist will teach the student to safely negotiate various routes in the school, eg. to classes, the gym, the nurse's office, the main office, restrooms, the cafeteria, etc. Also, routes to and from the bus area and playground (or outside common areas) are commonly addressed in O&M instruction.
Both independence and interdependence are stressed depending on the task, age, and capabilities of the student. Knowing when and how to ask for assistance (interdependence) is a critical aspect of O&M instruction.
Environmental and Safety issues:
Environmental and Safety issues:
For students who have remaining vision (usually 80% or more of those with vision impairment) environmental modifications may be helpful. Contrasting colored tape or paint on the edges of steps and playground equipment can increase visibility for some students.
The O&M Specialist will instruct the student about changing environmental factors and the impact on functional vision.
Resources
The following resources are useful for families and students with visual impairments.
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