Orientation and Mobility Instructions for the Visually Impaired: Strategies for Successful Inclusion

Orientation and mobility (O&M) are recognized as integral components of the expanded core curriculum for students with visual impairment, so learners with visual impairment require direct and sequential instruction provided by an O&M specialist to be able to acquire the skills necessary to interact with others. This chapter will focus on O&M instructions with visually impaired (VI) children, a group neglected when the profession was established. To contextualize this, the chapter begins with a brief history of O&M, before reviewing various definitions of O&M and highlighting a professional philosophical approach to O&M intervention. The chapter will focus on the role of O&M specialists, then describe the core O&M techniques, as an understanding of these techniques is required to appreciate the traditional resistance to the implementation of O&M intervention with children. Also, the chapter discusses the O&M assessment for VI before concluding and discussing different techniques for O&M skills.