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HI-Tech O&M Progress Reports
Technology can be used to create quick video snapshots to record progress of O&M skills.
After taking the Hi-Tech O&M professional development class taught by Diane Brauner and Ed Summers through Perkins eLearning, I realized that the opportunity of using technology during orientation and mobility instructional sequences is endless. Technology can be used to support orientation and mobility skills, teach concepts, communicate with others, and gather travel information.
As an itinerant teacher in the public schools, I have precious little face to face time with parents. In a few minutes, using my iPhone, I can demonstrate through simple video, travel skills that would take me a great deal of time to explain.
As an orientation and mobility specialist for over 35 years, I have demonstrated travel techniques to parents and written many progress reports describing the progress of a student’s journey toward independent travel. I have written reports that describe benchmarks that have been achieved and long cane techniques that have been practiced, but I realized, – do parents of blind and visually impaired children really understand the progress or specialized techniques that I describe?
Using an iPhone or an iPad, I can record a student demonstrating a specific orientation and mobility travel goal or benchmark outlined in their Independent Educational Plan (IEP). I can model language and use specific travel cues and clues to help a parent become more O&M savvy.
I recorded one of my students using a variety of long cane techniques in a residential neighborhood. I asked her to demonstrate the touch technique, the constant touch technique, and the touch and drag technique while walking the long length of a block. I asked her to demonstrate the upper protective technique in unison with the touch technique. I verbalized the travel techniques and explained her arc width, hand position, and in-step pattern, while recording her travel.
Just a few thoughts
- Consider sending simple snippet videos that demonstrate a specific skill, perhaps a video of the arm and hand position for the touch technique or the in-step sequence. Not every video needs to be a production.
- Consider video length – short videos can be embedded into email or a text message making it easy for parents to access.
- Keep a folder of each student’s video progress. Individual videos can be combined to create a video album – a real gift to parents especially if kept over the course of many years.
- Allow your low vision students to view the video. My low vision student was able to view her video on an iPad and independently offered that her arc width was too wide. We did a “take 2” version and she corrected her arc. This student’s self-correcting was an unexpected bonus of shooting video of her travel techniques.
Happy Travels!
By Nan Alphen
