Orientation and mobility

This study examines the performance of participants who are blind and have light perception or less when using a secondary electronic travel aid (ETA) and their primary mobility system (e.g., cane, vs. their performance with a cane, alone). The secondary devices studied were the Miniguide US™ and the K Sonar Device™*. The participants' performance was measured by their ability to detect obstacles on the vertical and horizontal planes; detect drop-offs and curbs; detect and avoid overhead obstructions, and determine natural and man-made landmarks that could possibly be used for orientation. In addition, the variable "speed of execution" was measured. Increased or decreased effi cacy between the participants' performance with their primary system alone and their performance using both their primary mobility system and one of the two secondary electronic travel aids in conjunction were measured.

Background: This study examined how students enrolled in a university orientation and mobility personnel preparation program in the Southwestern part of the United States perceived their competency levels regarding their knowledge of orientation and mobility principles and applications. This graduate master's degree or certification program includes students with various backgrounds (e.g., special education teachers, social workers, general education teachers). Method: To enter this Orientation and Mobility program perspective students must hold an undergraduate degree with a Grade Point Average of 3.0 on a 1-4 scale, and submittal of a resume, a personal statement, and transcripts from previous college/university coursework. These materials are then reviewed, and perspective students are accepted or rejected into the university's Orientation and Mobility Program. The Orientation and Mobility Program consists of nine 3-hour semester courses. The internship course is the last course in their program of study for a certificate. To pursue a master's degree students, complete an additional nine credit hours in special education. Most of the students maintain fulltime employment while completing their coursework. Using a selfevaluation form that included competency criteria provided by the Academy for the Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals, 74 orientation and mobility interns at the university evaluated their capabilities and proficiencies before they began and after they completed their internship. Results: Before beginning the internship, the participants, on average, considered themselves to be moderately or somewhat proficient in all 13 orientation and mobility competencies (M = 3.25-3.53, SD = 0.62-0.94). After completing the internship, the participants, on average, reported feeling significantly more proficient (p < .001) in each of these 13 orientation and mobility competencies (M = 4.13-4.49, SD = 0.49-0.66). Significance: This study represents an initial attempt to examine interns' perceptions of their proficiency levels vis-à-vis orientation and mobility competencies before beginning and after completion of the internship. Future research could examine the relationship between the interns perceived mastery of competencies and the actual mastery of these competencies.

The study reported here examined eight variables of the Teaching Age-Appropriate Personal Skills (TAPS) curriculum (Pogrund et al., 1995). The goal was to identify potential orientation and mobility (O&M) factors to represent constructs underlying the data that could be
used in the future to better research the college readiness of youths who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision). The TAPS checklist referred to in this investigationwas administered to youths ages 15 and 16 years as part of the second National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2), a large study carried out from 2000 to 2010 (SRI International, 2000). The authors used an exploratory factor analysis, a statistical technique that accounts for shared variance between variables in a population of interest, to reduce the number of variables in a large collection of data.

The ‘Willins’ cane was originally designed for use by a client who is an active woman in her mid-60s with arthritis in both hands and spine. The result of the arthritis was that she experienced pain in her hands when gripping objects and pain in her back, particularly when travelling over uneven ground. The client had used a variety of aids in the past, including a Guide Dog and a mobility cane with a padded handle. She had recently developed tendonitis, making the traditional mobility cane difficult to use because of the pain caused by the (a) wrist movement involved in establishing an arc, and (b) jarring effect when the cane tip rolled over an uneven surface, particularly when contacting an object.

This article will present a case study of an Australian child with emphasis on the early use of the long cane. ''T,'' who has no light perception, began orientation and mobility training, including the introduction of the long cane, when she was 14 months of age. The article will discuss the philosophy of introducing the long cane at such a young age and will demonstrate the importance of collaboration between the orientation and mobility specialist and other professionals, such as early childhood teachers. For very young children, a long cane becomes more than just a means of moving around safely. It becomes a tool for exploration, play, and independence. The value of peer support also is discussed, using the example of a weekly group that T attended with other young long cane users.

This study explored experiences with functional vision changes resulting from adult-onset vision conditions. The impact of glare, lightto-dark adaptation, depth perception, night blindness, and contrast sensitivity are examined for the way participants perceive their effects on willingness to engage in independent travel. Two interviews were conducted with 13 participants. These consisted of structured and semi-structured, open-ended questions to determine the impact of functional vision changes on mobility and pedestrian travel. Qualitative, open and a priori coding was used to derive themes and categories for the most significant functional vision considerations among participants. This study revealed changes in functional vision impact participants' perceived safety and were of concern when considering independent travel. Orientation and mobility (O&M) services were denied to some participants who had surrendered driving privileges and were considered vision impaired, but not legally blind, even though issues with functional vision impacted safer travel. The impact of functional vision changes on individuals with adult-onset vision impairment was found to affect participant mobility. Agencies serving this population can provide clients with safer travel options when all functional vision changes are considered beyond acuity and field of vision loss.

The paper sought to determine the perceptions Colleges of Education tutors hold on how the current curriculum helps pre-service teachers to collaborate with other professionals and parents to manage children with special educational needs and disabilities for effective inclusive education in Ghana. A descriptive survey design was adopted using a sample of 235 tutors from 13 public Colleges of Education in Ghana. The lottery method was used to select four out of the sixteen regions in Ghana and the purposive sampling technique was used to select all the Colleges within the four regions, while convenience sampling technique was used to select the actual respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used to gather the research data. Percentages and frequencies were used as statistical tools to analyse the data. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers had difficulties collaborating with other professionals and parents in managing children with special educational needs and disabilities in the inclusive classroom. It was therefore, recommended that measures that could help pre-service teachers to effectively and efficiently collaborate with parents and other professionals should be put in place.