Orientation and Mobility Instruction

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes orientation and mobility services under the category of "related services," which are defined as "supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education."

Specifically, according to IDEA, orientation and mobility services are services provided to blind or visually impaired students by qualified personnel to enable those students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community. O&M services include teaching students the following, as appropriate: spatial and environmental concepts and use of information received by the senses to establish, maintain or regain orientation and line of travel; to use the long cane to supplement visual travel skills or as a tool for safely negotiating the environment for students with no available travel vision; to understand and use remaining vision and distance low vision aids; and other concepts, techniques and tools.

As part of the expanded core curriculum, orientation and mobility is a vital area of learning. Both components are necessary for safe and efficient travel within the environment. Orientation involves knowledge of one's distance and direction relative to things observed or remembered in the surroundings and keeping track of these "self-to-object" spatial relationships as they change during locomotion. Mobility means moving safely, gracefully and comfortably. Areas of instruction include concept development, gross motor skills, visual efficiency skills, pre-cane and cane skills, orientation techniques and aids, accessing transportation systems, personal safety, and self-advocacy. These skills should be instructed at age-appropriate levels throughout the school years in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments.

Every visually impaired student has the right to an assessment by an orientation and mobility instructor who can determine the student's instructional needs in the areas of orientation and mobility. Based on the needs identified in the assessment, every visually impaired student has the right to instruction by an orientation and mobility instructor which will lead to the most independent, safe and efficient movement skills, appropriate for each student.