What O&M skills do high school students with visual impairments or blindness need to know in order to be successful in college or in job situation? Meg Robertson and the Orientation and Mobility Department with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind put together the following list of skills.
Orientation and Mobility List For College Students
The second document Meg shared includes:
Note: This document was prepared specifically for O&M clients served by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind; however, the information is beneficial for all!
Getting Ready for College! Information for Students with Legal Blindness
Editor’s Note: There have been many discussions among COMS in recent years about school system administrators who do not fully support off-campus O&M lessons. As COMS, part of our job is to educate others – including administrators and family members – about the importance of O&M skills and how these skills directly impact success in college and in the work force. Sharing documents such as these may help others better understand the need for O&M skills. Remember, the real goal of K-12 schools are to prepare students to be successful in college and to prepare students for employment. This should include preparing students to be able to travel independently, safely and with confidence in college environments, work environments and community environments.
Share these documents with high school students – encourage them to accurately identify their O&M strengths and weaknesses and then use this information to guide IEP goals and lessons prior to high school graduation. High school students should be actively thinking about O&M goals and planning their O&M lessons in preparation for facilitating O&M needs after high school graduation.
Documents shared on Paths to Technology with permission from Meg Robertson.
https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Getting%20Ready%20for%20College%21.doc https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/OM%20LIst%20of%20skills%20forcollegestudent2018%20finaltransitionmcbMarch2018.doc
By Diane Brauner