[nabs] receiving O&M service

[Ashley Bramlett]

Dear Patricia and Chase,
Sounds like you got what you needed. Chase, be lucky  you get once a week. I only got bi weekly lessons.
I think kids need O&M at least weekly, if not twice a week. We teach other skills everyday, but not O&M.

Anyway, I meant to write more, and its coming; as you’ll see in my rant/explanation, there are many flaws in receiving O&M and I wondered how others felt. Not only is it not enough, but if you are only taught a route and  memorize it, how does that help you in the real world when you won’t do that route?
Also those of us with some vision, we may be encouraged to over use it even though employing other nonvisual strategies can be taught with eyes open and may prove more useful than trying to see something in the distance. I don’t believe in sleepshades, unless its to get you to focus on and trust other senses. but I do think incorporating more nonvisual techniques would help low vision kids. If the instructor simply asks you to listen for x or y or feel x or y with your cane, you’ll learn what to observe even without your eyes being blocked. Hope that makes sense.

As a traveler, I use all my senses. I’ve learned that smell is a valuable cue and sounds are too. People walking up steps or opening doors can signal a building nearby. I use my vision and that helps me a lot such as to find landmarks, the color of a building,
or a sign. That helps in orientation. But I’ve also found that buildings have certain smells so I can associate the smell with building A or B.
If I can confirm where I am another way, I may not need to look for visual reference points. It takes a lot of scanning to find stuff since I have such a narrow field of vision.

Many nonvisual stuff, I’ve gained from blind travelers though and my own common sense because my instructors did not teach me.
ashley

From: Chase Crispin 
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:58 PM
To: 'Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students.' 
Subject: Re: [nabs] receiving O&M service

Hi,
My school district contracts and O&M instructor, and I receive weekly lessons.  I plan on getting a Guide Dog, probably from The Seeing Eye, after high school as I have heard from many people that having a guide dog in high school is not a good idea.
Thanks,




Chase Crispin
Visit my website!
http://www.blindmobiletech.com/
Email:
chase dot crispin at gmail dot com
My SAMobile address is no longer active.



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From: nabs-bounces at acb.org [mailto:nabs-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 9:32 PM
To: National Alliance of Blind Students. Discussion list for NABS
Subject: [nabs] receiving O&M service


Hi all,

I was just wondering your experience with O&M, or orientation and mobility. Some of you have dogs, but you learned O&M with a cane first. I plan to stick with a cane. I might get a pet, but the cane is the way to go for me.



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