The role of an orientation & mobility (O&M) specialist is essential to provide professional training and recommendations to promote safe, independent street crossings for people who are blind or have low vision. This article provides novel approaches to teaching crossing strategies using tactile maps to individuals with visual impairments…

Introduction: To better serve students with visual impairments who are enrolled in personnel preparation programs training orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists, faculty should be aware of effective teaching strategies, tools, and resources to use. In this context, it is vital that instructors in personnel preparation programs for O&M…

Introduction: This survey sought to establish a baseline for the remote delivery of services (telepractice) by orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists nationwide, which became pervasive in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: An online survey was distributed using professional email lists and then used snowball sampling to…

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to survey orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors who are blind concerning the identification of accommodations, teaching techniques, and resources to teach students with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision). Methods: The study utilized an online survey via Qualtrics (2019) with 27…

Instruction in science can be difficult for students with visual impairments due to the use of visual instruction that is often used for conceptual understanding. Pedagogical approaches to teaching science continue to evolve, with inquiry-based science instruction as a primary instructional method used in current classrooms. In teaching students…

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to survey the faculty of personnel preparation programs that train orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists in the identification of accommodations, teaching techniques, and resources needed to teach students who are visually impaired (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) and who are…

For early elementary students with vision loss, these seemingly simple questions can pose great difficulty, especially when conceptual development is being established. Because students with vision loss are unable to observe non-verbal cues within environmental settings, supplemental learning techniques must be utilized for learning. In science,…