Orientation and Mobility

for Children with Visual Impairments or Blindness

An early introduction to orientation and mobility skills gives children the freedom and confidence to move through the world independently. These sites offer advice for fostering orientation and mobility skills in infants and small children who are blind or visually impaired.

Almost 100 Motor Activities for Infants and Toddlers, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Initial orientation and mobility lessons should include the parents of children with visual impairments. This list contains suggestions for very easy activities for parents and young children to enjoy together.

Developmental Sequence of Orientation and Mobility Skills, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Tanni Anthony provides a developmental sequence for orientation and mobility skills.

Helping Your Preschooler Practice O&M Skills, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
Starting with the home and expanding to the neighborhood, this article tells parents how to help preschoolers know where they are, how they got there, and how they can find the way back.

Helping Your Child Develop Orientation and Mobility Skills, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
This section focuses on teaching orientation and mobility skills to children with multiple disabilities, with specific information about children in strollers or wheelchairs.

How I Learned What O&M Means, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
A Deafblind Family Leader shares her experiences in learning what O&M means for her young daughter who has multiple disabilities; available in English and Spanish.

Families, Babies, and O&M: Early Conversations, Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Visual Impairments
This article from CEC's DVI Quarterly offers ideas on how to build play/exploration environments, how to highlight landmarks, and how to design mini-travel routes in a child's day.

I'm Starting to Walk – I Can Use a Cane! Department of Education and Training, Western Australia
Orientation and Mobility Instructor Bronwen Scott describes the system of O&M instruction in Australia, including starting points, cane work, and general guidelines. (Microsoft Word Document)

Independent Movement and Travel, Blind Children's Resource Center
Joe Cutter, Early Childhood O&M specialist with the NJ Commission for the Blind, shares his thoughts on Orientation and Mobility for young children, including independence, visual development, and other issues in early childhood.

Mobility Devices for Young Children, American Foundation for the Blind
This site describes the several kinds of mobility devices appropriate for  young children who are blind or severely visually impaired, explains what children learn from them, how parents and teachers can help in their use, and where they can be purchased; available in Spanish.

Orientation and Mobility: The Early Years of Infancy through Preschool, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
A "formula of purposeful movement" is offered, based on the developmental needs of infants and very young children.

Orientation and Mobility: Infants and Beyond, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Suggestions are offered here for determining whether or not an O&M referral should be made. Activities addressing critical skill areas are included; in English and Spanish.

Orientation and Mobility Preschool Style, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
The importance of O&M in a preschool program is described; includes numerous games for teaching orientation and mobility to very young children.

Orientation and Mobility: What Does It Mean for My Baby? Special Education Service Agency (SESA)
Parent-Infant Educator Andrea Story provides a brief introduction to O&M.

Parents: Blind Children's First Mobility Teachers, National Federation of the Blind
This article from Future Reflections, a magazine for family and instructors of children who are blind, emphasizes the importance of parents as teachers of mobility; based on a presentation by Joe Cutter to the Parents of Blind Children Seminar.

The Roots of Orientation and Mobility: Birth to Three Years, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Susan Holmes Shier outlines the first three years of Orientation and Mobility skills, including motor, environmental concepts, and body image.

Teaching your Blind Baby Orientation & Mobility, WonderBaby.org
This article offers ideas of ways to introduce orientation and mobility skills from the time a baby is born.  It includes sections on directions and body awareness, environmental sounds, and suggested games.

Organizations and Resources to Explore: Orientation & Mobility

OrientationAndMobility.org
This site was designed for Certified O&M Specialists as a way to find information on the internet. It includes many links, articles, discussions, and additional resources.

For more information, see also Orientation and Mobility