[AERNet] O&M Division position papers POSTED!

[Dona Sauerburger]

Hi everyone!  The position papers of the O&M Division are now all posted on 
the Division's home page, at the address: www.aerbvi.org/OandM (lots of 
thanks to AER's Lorna Frazier-Lindsey for getting them up there!).  The 
papers and their topics are outlined below, after a description of how 
papers are approved (this is from the link on the O&M Division web site):

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AER Orientation and Mobility Division
Positions and Resolutions

The AER O&M Division membership has position papers which reflect the 
consensus of the membership.  In order to be an approved AER O&M Division 
position paper, the following procedure must be followed:

a.    prepare a draft of the position paper and publish it in a Division 
newsletter and/or other appropriate publication that reaches all Division 
members.  Because of the importance of comments from Division members, no 
position paper may be considered for acceptance by the Division unless a 
draft has had prior publication in a Division newsletter or another 
appropriate publication.

b.    invite comments, criticisms, and suggestions from the Division 
members and revise the position paper accordingly.

c.    accept final draft of the position paper with a two-thirds majority 
vote at an international meeting or through mail ballot voting of the 
Division membership.

d.    distribute and publicize approved position papers.


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The following position papers have been approved by the AER O&M Division 
membership:

1. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1029>Teaching 
Orientation and Mobility through Individual and Group Lessons - 2006
This paper addresses the feasibility and ethics of providing O&M training 
in groups, when traditional O&M is provided with one-to-one 
instruction.  It was proposed in response to O&M specialists who were being 
asked by their agencies to provide O&M in groups.  It was approved 
unanimously at the O&M Division business meeting July 17, 2006.

2. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1030>Orientation 
and Mobility in Natural Settings - 
2006<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1030>
This paper was developed to aid practitioners whose administrators may not 
understand the fundamental nature of providing O&M assessment and 
instruction in the environments in which these O&M skills and techniques 
will be used.  It was developed in response to concerns from the field 
which were first voiced at a Roundtable on Supervisory/Program Planning 
issues at the O&M Division Conference in 2003.  The document can hopefully 
help administrators of O&M programs to understand the necessity for 
irregular work schedules (including night lessons) and instruction in the 
community.  It was approved unanimously at the O&M Division business 
meeting July 17, 2006.

3. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1031>Teaching 
Street Crossing at Signalized Intersections - 2006
As signalized intersections have become increasingly complex, this paper 
was proposed to recognize the importance of understanding the issues 
involved and teaching them appropriately.  It was approved unanimously at 
the O&M Division business meeting July 17, 2006.

4. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1033>Orientation 
and Mobility Specialist Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications - 2004
This paper was originally developed in 2000 by the O&M Division’s Executive 
Committee in an effort to define what is unique about O&M service that 
should be provided only by qualified, properly trained O&M specialists. For 
example, O&M specialists often work with other professionals as team 
members to provide O&M services, especially for consumers with multiple 
disabilities, and there is sometimes a question as to what O&M services are 
appropriate for these other professionals to provide, and what should be 
provided only by qualified O&M specialists.  In addition, there was a 
growing concern that O&M services are sometimes provided by professionals 
with inadequate training in O&M.  This paper was intended to reflect the 
consensus of AER O&M Division members and the O&M profession to explain 
which responsibilities and tasks are the exclusive role of O&M specialists, 
and who is qualified to provide that service.  The final draft was approved 
by a vote of 99% approval in the Spring of 2004.

5. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1035>Use of 
Visual Occlusion in Orientation and Mobility Training - 2004
This paper was first proposed in 2003 by the Professional Standards 
Committee to address the growing issue of O&M specialists who are required 
by their agencies to blindfold all of their consumers, when such a blanket 
approach may work against the best interest of the consumer.  The original 
draft was revised to reflect comments; the final draft was approved by a 
vote of 97% approval in the Spring of 2004.

6. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1034>Model 
Program for Use of Orientation and Mobility Assistants - 2004
This model is intended to provide guidance as a best practice model for 
those who want to use an Orientation and Mobility Assistant (OMA), and to 
provide a tool to assist those whose administrators are pressuring them to 
hire and use OMAs in what they consider to be an inappropriate manner.  At 
the time this model was developed, many O&M Division members felt that OMAs 
would not be an asset to their program because their consumers progress 
quickly without supervised practice between lessons, and/or their program 
is itinerant and doesn’t geographically lend itself to the use of 
OMAs.  However some members felt that OMAs would enhance their 
effectiveness, and a few members were under pressure from their 
administrators to incorporate OMAs into their program to extend their 
services.

The first draft of the OMA model was proposed in 2000 by what is now the 
Professional Standards Committee.  In a vote in the spring of 2001, this 
draft received at vote of 62% approval, which wasn’t enough to be accepted 
as a position paper (2/3 approval is required).  The final draft reflected 
the concerns of the membership and was approved by a vote of 87% approval 
in the Spring of 2004.

7. 
<http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1032>University 
Trained Mobility Specialists - 1990
This paper was approved at the AER Division Nine business meeting in 
Washington, DC in July, 1990.
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--Dona

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Dona Sauerburger, COMS®
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
<sauerburger at mindspring.com>
301-858-0138   (V/TTY)
1606 Huntcliff Way
Gambrills, Maryland 21054 USA

http://www.sauerburger.org/dona
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