Abstract

Like many other states, California is facing a daunting budget deficit, reportedly about $19 billion. Delayed budgets have held up the disbursement of money, affecting school programs in districts as well as at the California School for the Blind (CSB). The current financial constraints have had an impact on CSB's programs. Its department of seven part- and full-time orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors has made a serious attempt to continue to deliver high-quality, innovative programs during these trying fiscal times. In this article, the authors share some of these ideas, most of which can be adapted for use in district programs. They are programs and ideas for lessons that are implemented solely within the O&M program or in conjunction with other staff on campus, such as the classroom teacher or job coach. It should be noted that these ideas may be embedded into a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) or may be "extracurricular," a supplement or experience to augment a student's understanding of the world around him or her. It should also be noted that the ideas presented in this article are not to be viewed as "how to." The authors do not give the specifics of any one suggestion or a detailed outline of any of the suggestions. Instead, they intend the information to be used by O&M instructors to spark their interest and creativity, to give thought to how an idea may be implemented in an instructor's particular teaching setting, or to be a "springboard" for implementing an idea.

Citation

Barrella, K., Besden, C., Crow, N., Greenberg, M.D., Shrieves, G., Smith, K.A. & Vickroy, M. (2011). Striving to Provide Innovative Orientation and Mobility Services in Times of Diminishing Resources. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 105(10), 587-590. Retrieved May 27, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/109831/.

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Keywords

• assistive technology
• Blindness
• Cooperative learning
• Geographic Information Systems
• Individualized Education Programs
• Maps
• navigation
• Program Effectiveness
• School Districts
• Seminars
• Tactual Perception
• Travel Training
• Visual Impairments
• Visually Impaired Mobility