Orientation and Mobility

Overview

School based orientation and mobility services are provided by an orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist. The O&M specialist collaborates with the Teacher of the Visually Impaired and other members of the student’s IEP team. The O&M specialist is involved with assessments and evaluations for initial evaluations and reevaluations. The O&M specialist can also provide instruction to students who have O&M as a related service in their IEP. The O&M specialist instructs students who are blind or visually impaired, based on their IEP goals, in the development of skills and knowledge that enable them to confidently travel in familiar and unfamiliar environments safely and independently. The sequential instruction may include, but is not limited to, developing spatial awareness and orientation strategies, cardinal directions and their application to travel, information gathering techniques, map reading skills, cane travel skills, strategies for street crossing, use of public transportation, and communication during emergencies.