Orientation and Mobility

And once you do decide to take that step, so moving from thinking about it to more seriously considering, "What does it feel like to have one of these things in my hand? I'm not saying I'm gonna use it all the time, but I at least wanna know this part of it." Then it's time to find a professional who can show you the ropes, so to speak.

How do you hold it? Where can you use it? Who is it for? Can only certain people have one? So orientation and mobility, or O&M specialists, are the group of professionals who are best equipped to make that first introduction.

And now we'll hear from Elijah Haynes, who is himself an O&M specialist, on how he introduces the cane to people for the first time.

My name is Elijah Haynes, and, uh, I'm up here in A- Anchorage, Alaska, uh, working at the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and I am a certified orientation and mobility specialist, um, and a certified low vision, uh, therapist as well.

Um, and I do the rural outreach travel here at the center as well.

And one of the good things is, you see, I had to learn my whole workplace before I started working there.

Laura Zamora was my O&M instructor, which stands for Orientation and Mobility through Department of Rehab.

She was top dog.

She made sure I memorized my workplace and anything that involved public transportation or what have you.