Design and Implementation of an Orientation and Mobility Program for a Young Woman with Multiple Disabilities

Anne is a 19-year-old student in the transitional program at the California School for the Blind (CSB), who is visually impaired because of optic nerve atrophy secondary to a cerebral ischemic accident. Anne also has cognitive-delay and motor-processing challenges. Her educational program has spanned a number of public school settings in addition to her program at CSB. Anne had many years of individual orientation and mobility (OM and choice making was emphasized throughout the program. However, Anne had to finish a unit before she could move on and choose the next one. Anne has a particular interest in writing on a computer. In the classroom, she uses 36-point type and an Intellikeys overlay. I was fortunate enough to be able to arrange to have the speech and language therapist set up the same computer system for Anne in the back of the O&M classroom, where it is relatively quiet, so she could work undistracted by her classmates. GETTING STARTED Anne chose the post office as her first unit. With much assistance, she defined words, such as branch, main, mail carrier, insurance, stamps, envelope, and package, on the computer. We then role-played mailing a package and purchasing stamps. We examined different sizes and types of envelopes and boxes, as well as post office forms. One week was devoted to planning a trip to the main post office in Fremont by having Anne listen to my telephone call to gather information and then having her put only crucial information, such as the number of the bus, the appropriate bus stop, and the time at which the bus stopped, on 5 x 8-inch cards. …