Orientation & Mobility

What is orientation?

Orientation is all about:

Where am I?
Where am I going?
How do I get there?

We teach people the necessary orientation skills to answer these three questions. This involves using their residual vision and senses such as hearing, touch and smell.

Imagine waking up in a dark room in an unfamiliar house. You can orient yourself by gathering clues from the surrounding environment - sounds outside your room, light coming through the doorway, or the smell of cooking from the kitchen. You can also gather information from the permanent environment - the position of your bed and desk in relation to the door act as landmarks that help you find your way.

So how does orientation work outdoors?

We train people to use the same clues and landmarks to plan their routes. Imagine the walk from your home to the local shops. How would you plan your route using information from the environment? You may walk straight from your front door to the gate; turn right to head down the hill; listen for children playing in the park when you're near the corner; turn left and walk until you smell freshly brewed coffee from the cafe.

For unfamiliar routes, our Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Instructors can work with you to plan the trip and practice your orientation skills, so you'll be able to travel it independently if you choose. We also teach some effective ways to plan your next route or trip independently.

What is mobility?

Once your route is planned using your orientation skills, mobility training ensures you get there safely. Our O&M Instructors provide training in effective mobility skills and techniques, including training with a mobility device if necessary.