[AERNet] O&M services

[Larry L. Lewis, Jr.]

Hi,

 

To be sure, O&M services are definitely essential for this student.  If the
student can't independently travel from class to class within a contained
building, then how can he expect to be able to live independently once he
graduates?  He may or may not have sighted assistance at his disposal to
navigate to and from his residence, to the grocery store, to college (if he
wishes to pursue a post secondary education), to and from his future place
of employment, etc, and I feel that it is the educational system's
responsibility to assume that he will  not have this assistance, and prepare
the student accordingly.  I feel so strongly about this that if I had a
magic wand and could make a wish to fix something as it relates to how
services are provided to blind students, I would have O&M proficiency
mandated to be a skill that the student needs to be able to satisfactorily
demonstrate to a qualified professional before he/she could move on and
receive services to prepare him/her for the work place.  Please note that I
realize that individuals do lose their vision later in life, and I also
understand that many blind children do also have secondary disabilities
besides blindness.  Speaking from the perspective of a congenitally blind
adult, without travel skills, many personal and professional opportunities
that have come my way would have been missed, or at least not fully realized
had I not had O&M training both as a child as well as a young adult.

 

 

Warmest Regards,

Larry L. Lewis, Jr.

Home Office Phone:  +1 (216) 381-8107

Cellular Phone:  +1 (216) 276-0699

E-mail:  L_Lewis at Ameritech.net

Skype Name:  Larry.L.Lewis

  _____  

From: aernet-bounces at lists.aerbvi.org
[mailto:aernet-bounces at lists.aerbvi.org] On Behalf Of Melinda Schink
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 8:45 AM
To: Questions AERNET
Subject: [AERNet] O&M services

 

I work with a 17-year old totally blind transfer student who arrived in the
district over the summer. For a 6-week period this past summer, thie student
received O&M. Somehow, however, O&M was deemed by the CSE as unnecessary for
the school year. Instead, he is using an aide to get from class to class. (I
was not at the meeting because I was off on maternity leave until 10/2). In
all of your professional opinions, is O&M necessary for this student? This
decision is not sitting right with me. My thought was that, in order to
foster independent travel around the school building, O&M training would be
vital. Any thoughts/opinions?

~`Melinda Schink



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