Orientation and mobility services are essential for individuals who are blind or have severely reduced vision. When individuals also have coexisting comorbidities, or are older, some professionals wonder if these individuals can benefit from orientation and mobility services. This course reviews what orientation and mobility services are and describes how they can benefit individuals who face additional mobility impairments like those who need to use a walker, support cane, wheelchair, or may have limited strength or stamina. 

This course is available for 1.25 hours of CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, you will be able to identify: 

1. The unique needs of older individuals and those with multiple impairments.
2. The role and qualifications of the O&M specialist.
3. The value of the interdisciplinary team, including the family and the program participant. 
4. The importance of assessment in developing realistic goals.
5. The technique of "Motivational Interviewing" and its application.
6. O&M techniques that can be taught by other professionals.
7. O&M techniques that require an O&M specialist.
8. Tools for balance.

The following are recommended screen reader and browser combinations.

Mac: Voiceover with the latest version of Safari,

PC: JAWS or NVDA with Firefox.

Note that currently, course quizzes are not functioning properly for Microsoft screen reader users with Chrome or Edge.

The course shows a start date, but this is simply the date the course was made available to the public. They are self-paced. So, there is not an end date. You can enroll at any time.

This course was developed by the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University. We are the only national center funded to conduct research related to employment for people with blindness or low vision, and training and technical assistance for the federal Older Individuals who are Blind program. As a national center of excellence, we offer resources on a variety of topics for service providers, businesses, and persons with vision loss on our websites:

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