Home Orientation and Mobility Experiences in School (HOMES)

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Due to the increasing demands placed upon students with visual impairments in their academic programs, there exists a need to find a way to effectively provide instruction in the area of lifeskills. Many of these skills can be provided within the parameters of the students' orientation and mobility program. From this need, the Intermediate Unit 1 HOMES program was conceived. The program is designed to provide a whole-day experience for the students once a month, in addition to, their regular mobility training.

The primary program goal for the HOMES program is to increase each students' level of independence in the following lifeskills areas:

• Food preparation skills
• Shopping skills
• Laundry skills
• Cleaning skills
• Basic mending skills
• Money management skills
• Socialization skills
• Orientation and mobility skills integrated across all instructional areas

The HOMES program provides students who are blind/visually impaired with the opportunity to meet one day a month to learn compensatory skills, to carry out career exploration activities, to acquire orientation and mobility skills and to practice appropriate social skills in a variety of educational and community settings.

Intermediate Unit 1 currently operates two HOMES Programs: one based at the Fayette County Association for the Blind and one based at the IU1 Educational Campus at Laboratory.

Forms

• HOMES Program Certificate of Achievement
• HOMES Program
• Independent Skills Score Sheet
• Information Checklist For Student Portfolio
• Parent Input
• Permission to Photograph/Video/Audio Tape
• Permission Slip
• Student Information Form
• TVI/Student Interview Questions