by Andrea Story, parent-infant educator, SESA
As parents of children with a vision impairment learn about the services for their child they soon hear of the sometimes hard to come by orientation and mobility instructor. What is this specialist that is known by yet another abbreviation, "O & M?" Oats and Mush?
Orientation and Mobility is special training to help a person with a vision impairment get from one place to another as safely, efficiently, and independently as possible. Orientation refers to the many thinking skills needed to understand that there is a world at arm’s reach and beyond. It is also the know-how to get to the places one wants to go. For a baby, orientation may mean knowing where to reach out to touch a rattle (remember we are talking about a child that may not see the rattle). A toddler may use orientation to get to the kitchen cookie jar from any room in the house, and an older person may use it to know when it is safe to cross a street and what direction to continue in after crossing.
Mobility is the actual moving skills that a person uses to get places. Depending on the individual, mobility could mean reaching, crawling, walking, or using a wheel chair.
O&M training is a relatively young field that was formalized after World War II. At the time, a primary focus was teaching young men who had been blinded in the war how to use a long cane. In the 1960s universities began training O & M instructors. Generally, Orientation and Mobility can be a part of a rehabilitation degree or part of a degree in education. Until the 1980s, O & M instruction was reserved for adults and school-age children. Realizing that preschool children could also benefit from special attention to the areas of navigating without sight there was a push to serve this age group, as well as those with low vision or additional impairments.
The field of orientation and mobility continues to grow in addressing such topics as how to encourage a baby to explore, what is a good "pre-cane" tool, and when to introduce a cane. As in any group, there are varying philosophies within the field, and techniques are adjusted as knowledge is gained.
In some instances, an O & M instructor may work directly with a child, and in other situations, the O & M instructor may teach the skills to the family and/or others (such as the vision teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, day care provider, etc.). Consulting may be very effective when a toddler is already seen on a regular basis by others, such as a vision teacher and/or a physical therapist. If a vision teacher is involved s/he is more than likely working on many of the thinking and moving skills that an O & M instructor would focus on for a baby or toddler. What is important is making sure each child is reinforced to be a competent explorer of his or her own world.
