Orientation and Mobility

Skills to orient children who are blind or low vision to their surroundings and travel skills to enable them to move independently and safely in the environment include:

Human guide techniques (also known as a sighted guide)
Using standard and adaptive canes
Recognizing cues and landmarks
Moving through space by walking or using a wheelchair
Requesting assistance

What is Orientation & Mobility

Here you will find articles that introduce the crucial skills that enable independence for individuals with visual impairments. They discuss the fundamentals of orientation (knowing one's position relative to other locations) and mobility (the ability to move safely from one place to another), exploring techniques and tools that assist in navigation, such as canes and GPS technologies

Two students holding canes facing teachers.

Orientation and Mobility and the Expanded Core Curriculum

What Is Orientation & Mobility (O&M)? This area of the expanded core curriculum (ECC) focuses on two broad, interrelated components: orientation (knowing one’s position in relation to other things in one’s surroundings and keeping track of how these relations/positions change as one moves through the environment) and mobility (the physical act of moving from one […]

Two students outside, holding canes with an Orientation and Mobility instructor standing behind them.

Orientation and Mobility Assessment

An orientation and mobility (O&M) assessment examines a child’s ability to travel safely indoors and outdoors, with or without assistance. An O&M instructor, a professional with specialized training in teaching travel skills and concepts such as spatial awareness, will conduct the assessment. Some TVIs are certified in O&M, while others have limited expertise and cannot […]

Two students with canes walking in the hallway with a teacher.

Working with Your Child’s Orientation and Mobility Specialist: 8 Questions to Ask

Who Is the Orientation and Mobility Specialist? The orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist is a professional who has extensive training in teaching children to travel at home, at school, and in the community. O&M specialists often provide instruction to children with multiple disabilities. Sometimes this instruction is direct when they work with children regularly to […]

White Cane Safety Day

White Cane Safety Day in the U.S. was first officially recognized in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson. This day is commemorated annually with a presidential proclamation. While sticks and canes had been used for centuries as tools to help blind people navigate safely, James Biggs from Bristol, England, claimed to have invented the white cane […]

Beginning O & M Skills

Beginning O&M articles focus on the foundational aspects of orientation and mobility training for children with visual impairments. This includes developing spatial awareness, using sensory information effectively, and introducing basic cane techniques. The articles also offer strategies for parents and educators to support these early learning steps, creating a safe and encouraging environment for skill development. For a more detailed look at beginning O&M skills, check out the full articles below.

A child using a white cane gets on a school bus

Developing Independent Travelers One Ride at a Time

Children need to start developing navigation and travel skills from a young age. When traveling with your child, knowing the available support options is important. Utilizing the support resources together can help you transfer the responsibility of independent and safe travel to your child more easily. Traveling by Ride-Share Services Ride-share services, such as Uber […]

A baby laying on a blanket outside looking off to the distance.

Orientation and Mobility for Babies and Toddlers

What Is Orientation and Mobility? Orientation and Mobility (O&M) includes the skills needed to orient to surroundings and to move independently and safely in the environment. To learn and master these skills, a blind or low-vision child commonly works with an O&M specialist from infancy through late adolescence. They may occasionally work with an O&M […]

Toddler exploring concrete wall with white cane.

Mobility Devices for Young Children

What are Kiddie Canes, Pre-Canes, and Alternative Mobility Devices? The long cane used by some people with blindness or low vision has a white shaft, a black handle, and red near the bottom. The long cane provides a traveler with information about the ground in front of him as he moves. There are several alternative […]

Young boy walking outside with a white cane.

Orientation and Mobility for Preschoolers

What Is Orientation and Mobility? Orientation and Mobility (O&M) teaches concepts, skills, and techniques needed to orient to surroundings and move independently and safely in the environment. To learn and master these skills, a blind or low-vision child commonly works with an O&M specialist upon diagnosis of an eye condition through late adolescence. Your child […]

A preschooler walking in the hall with a cane and her Orientation and Mobility instructor.

Helping Your Preschooler Practice Orientation and Mobility Skills

As your child becomes increasingly active, you’ll want to help them practice different ways of getting around safely and encourage an awareness of the environment. You’ll also want to reinforce the skills and concepts your child is learning from the orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor. You can help your preschooler learn how to know where […]

Young child in a wheelchair holding a tablet and wearing headphones.

Orientation and Mobility for Your Child Who Uses or Will Use a Wheelchair

Perhaps you are here today with apprehension or concern, eager to learn how your child will travel when blind or low vision and using a wheelchair (full-time or part-time). You aren’t sure how orientation and mobility (travel training for individuals who are blind or low vision) will work when your child isn’t walking. Is a […]

Individual using a white cane with a marshmallow cane tip

O&M: What’s in a Tip? A Cane Tip that is…

I recently met with a first-grade student for our second orientation and mobility (O&M) lesson. He had been issued a cane and tip by a previously certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS). At about 20 minutes into our 60-minute lesson, he complained of tiredness. This puzzled me because I have been his teacher of students […]

Round compass in child’s hand on green grass background.

Using Compass Directions in Orientation and Mobility

By Scott Truax If I tell you my house is on the right-hand side of the street, you will only find me if you come from the same direction I was. If I tell you it is on the north side of the street and midway down the block, your chances improve dramatically. Compass directions […]

Developing O & M Skills

Developing O&M skills content addresses more advanced techniques in orientation and mobility training suitable for children as they grow. These include enhancing cane skills, learning to use electronic travel aids, and activities you can do at home. The section also emphasizes building confidence through real-world practice and gradually expanding the environments in which these skills are applied. For comprehensive guidance on developing O&M skills, you can view the detailed articles below.

Child opening a door and walking outside while using a white cane

Empowering Independence: Cultivating Essential Travel Skills

Childhood is a time of wonder, exploration, and rapid development. Children undergo an incredible transformation from the moment they take their first steps to the time they enter adulthood. The ability to navigate the world around them enhances a child’s mobility and promotes cognitive development and social interaction. You play a crucial role in fostering […]

A girl wearing glasses sitting on the floor in a classroom.

Orientation and Mobility for Grade Schoolers

What Is Orientation and Mobility? Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is the teaching of concepts, skills, and techniques needed to orient to surroundings and to move independently and safely in the environment. To learn and master these skills, a child who is blind or has low vision commonly works with an O&M specialist upon diagnosis through […]

Two boys playing a game of large floor checkers.

Orientation and Mobility Activities for Families of Blind/Low Vision Children

Here are some fun activities that can help reinforce orientation and mobility (O&M) skills for children who are blind or have low vision. These activities are great for children aged six and up, including siblings, cousins, or friends. Feel free to modify and expand on these as you discover what your child enjoys. In the […]

A student walking with his cane in an office area with his mom and sister.

Helping Your Child Who Is Blind or Low Vision Get Oriented to a New School Building

By Scott Truax Starting a new school year is always both exciting and nerve-racking. When a child who is blind or low vision goes to a school building for the first time, it is important that they become very familiar with it to lessen that feeling of being lost that every new student feels. This […]

A tactile map and someone adding a square to represent a building.

Creating a DIY Tactile Map for Your Child or Teen Who Is Blind or Low Vision

By Samantha Kelly As parents, we are always looking for strategies to increase the independence of our children who are blind or low vision, no matter the area of the expanded core curriculum. To increase independent orientation and mobility or travel skills, students will work with an orientation and mobility specialist and their parents to […]

Red fire alarm system component on wall of a school.

This Is Not A Drill! School Fire Safety Recommendations for Children with Blindness or Low Vision

We likely all have memories of the fire drills during our elementary school days. The alarm blared through the school, and our teachers asked us to “calmly” line up and follow them in a single-file line” to our designated exit door. Upon exiting the building, we walked purposefully to an area that felt miles away […]

2 students with canes and an adult walking in hallway

Orientation and Mobility for Teens with Recent Blindness or Low Vision

If your teenager has just been diagnosed with blindness or low vision—whether from a condition such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt’s disease, or because of an accident or other trauma—or if their vision has deteriorated, they have much to cope with. Like you and the rest of the family, they may have a number of […]

White shoes on a sidewalk with a cane in front of them.

Orientation and Mobility for Teenagers Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

What Is Orientation and Mobility? Orientation and Mobility (O&M) teaches concepts, skills, and techniques needed to orient to surroundings and move independently and safely in the environment. To learn and master these skills, a child or teen with blindness or low vision commonly works with an O&M specialist upon diagnosis of an eye condition through […]

Wooden directional sign post displaying the compass points North, East, South, West.

Teaching Cardinal Directions to Children Who are Blind

By Samantha Kelley There is no doubt that cardinal directions are an important tool for traveling as a person with blindness or low vision, but most people struggle with determining which direction they are facing. This includes parents who want to help teach their children cardinal directions but feel a bit lost themselves. The following […]

Camera resting on a suitcase and backpack on the ground against a brick wall.

Five Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Skills to “Pack” for College Life

It’s here again –summer! Many students are excitedly anticipating and planning for the possibilities that the next couple of months may hold. Freedom from the usual routine and deadlines. A break from learning and review…right? If you’re a recent high school graduate, you may want to consider working a little (or a lot) of instruction […]