Orientation and Mobility, or O&M, is a profession which focuses on instructing individuals who are blind or visually impaired and deaf-blind with safe and effective travel through their environment. Mobility in valves the actual movement from place to place. Along with communication skills and daily living skills, O&M skills are essential for all children who are blind or visually impaired deaf-blind and other disabilities. The ability to understand the environment and to move safely within it is an important component of future development, success, and in dependence.

1. Orientation &
Mobility
SAYYID MUHAMMED SHAFEEQ
SREELEKSHMI R

2. Introduction
Orientation and Mobility, or O&M, is a profession which
focuses on instructing individuals who are blind or
visually impaired and deaf-blind with safe and effective
travel through their environment.
Mobility in valves the actual movement from
place to place. Along with communication skills and
daily living skills, O&M skills are essential for all
children who are blind or visually impaired deaf-blind
and other disabilities. The ability to understand the
environment and to move safely within it is an important
component of future development, success, and in
dependence.

3. Historical Background
Orientation and Mobility training began after World War II when techniques
were developed to help blind veterans of the war. Soldiers who had been blinded in
battle were sent to recuperate at Valley Forge Army General Hospital before
entering Avon Old Farms Convalescent Hospital, the U.S. Army's former
experimental rehabilitation centre for blind soldiers in Avon, Connecticut. In the
1960s, universities started training programs for Orientation and Mobility specialists
who were to work with adults and school-age children. In the 1980s, the O&M field
recognized the benefit of providing services to preschool-aged children and began to
do so. Today, O&M specialists have developed strategies and approaches for
serving even younger populations so that O&M training may begin in infancy.

4. Orientation and Mobility Training
Orientation and mobility training (O & M) helps a blind or visually
impaired child know where he is in space and where he wants to go
(orientation). It also helps him be able to carry out a plan to get there
(mobility). 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.

5. Sensory awareness
When a child can not access his world
efficiently through his vision, he must learn to
use his other senses more effectively.
Systematic instruction is needed to develop
the other senses for use in travel and finding
things in the environment. He must
understand that some of the sounds and
smells and textures he experiences can be
used as permanent markers (landmarks) to
let him know where he is in the world. Other
pieces of information may be there
sometimes and not at other times (clues)
such as the sound of the water fountain.
Developing sensory awareness is critical for
the child with visual impairments or
blindness.

6. Spatial concepts
According to Fazzi and Petersmeyer (Imagining the possibilities:
Creative approaches to orientation and mobility instruction for persons
who are visually impaired, AFB Press 2001), “development of spatial
awareness helps students understand the placement, arrangement, and
spacing of persons or things in relation to one another.” O&M specialists
will play an important role in teaching spatial concepts to the student.
Spatial awareness concepts apply not only to education but relate
directly to travel. Spatial concepts include body awareness and spatial
awareness. As with other concepts, direct experiences will help the
student learn the concept. Physical experiences will help lay the
foundation for development. Once a student has learned the concepts
using their own bodies, they can then develop concepts related to
models and representations.

8. ● Relationships
which exist
between objects in
the environment

9. Searching skills:
locating items or
places efficiently.

10. Independent movement:
which includes crawling,
rolling, walking, etc.

11. Sighted guide: using
another person to aid in
travel

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17. protective techniques:
specific skills which
provide added protection
in unfamiliar areas.

18. White canes and walking sticks
Visual impairment you may use
a white cane or stick. There are
different types of canes and sticks and
they have different uses. Some are
designed to help with mobility while
others are used to let people know
you have a visual impairment.

19. A white walking stick gives you
some physical support and lets
other people know that you have a
visual impairment. It is not a
mobility aid.
A symbol cane is used to let others
know that you have a visual
impairment and that you might
need assistance. It is not a mobility
aid and does not provide physical
support.

20. A long cane is a mobility aid
designed to help you get
around. You sweep the cane
from side to side on the
ground in front of your body.
This helps you locate
potential hazards and
changes in the texture and
level of the ground. You will
need training on how to use
a long cane.

21. A guide cane is a mobility aid. It
is shorter than a long cane and
has more limited use. The guide
cane can be used in two ways,
you can hold it in a diagonal
position across your lower body
for protection, or you can use it
to scan for kerbs and steps. It
does not give you physical
support. You will need training
on how to use a guide cane.

22. Smart Cane
A person with blindness can easily
detect obstacles on ground, surface
textures, potholes etc. while travelling
with a standard white cane. However,
white cane cannot detect overhanging
objects like tree branches, sign
boards, open glass windows, etc. Also,
at times using a white cane could
result in scratching a parked vehicle
with a cane, bumping into another
person, etc.

23. Guide Dogs

24. Guide dogs can help someone with a visual impairment to get around safely. Irish
Guide Dogs for the Blind provide guide dogs to people with visual impairments.
They also provide training so people can learn how to work with a guide dog.
Only certain breeds of dogs can become guide dogs in Ireland. The main breeds
used are Labradors, golden retrievers, crosses of these breeds and German shepherd
crosses.
Dogs that become guide dogs are trained by Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Puppies
are fostered by families for twelve months and are then returned to the Irish Guide
Dogs for the Blind to train for eight months. A family pet or puppy cannot be
trained to be a guide dog.

25. Google Glass
Google Glass provides blind
and visually impaired users
with a significantly less
obtrusive and hands-free
way of accessing the world
around them -- empowering
users with greater freedom
and independence to access
and 'see' the world around
them.

26. Conclusion
Blind, visually impaired, deaf blind and other disability students
need to learn to travel as safely and independently as possible; to
learn about and from the environment through which they move.
This requires systematic instruction in how to orient themselves
and avoid obstacles without the benefit of visual cues. Early
instruction helps develop foundational skills of body image and
essential spatial concepts. Throughout the school years, instruction
involves travel in school, home and community, including travel in
residential, city and rural areas. It often includes instruction in the
use of a long cane or other travel device.

27. Thank
You