Running head: ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY CONCEPTS
Orientation and Mobility Concepts
Laura Glass
Mount Saint Vincent University
Foundations of Orientation and Mobility for Teachers of the Visually Impaired
GEPY 6912
Duncan McGregor
July 13, 2015
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Orientation and Mobility Concepts
According to Jacobson (2013), concepts are “concrete, functional, or abstract mental
representations, images, or ideas of what an object, idea, or other entity is.” (p. 71). All
characteristics of a concept must also be formed mentally. In order to give meaning to a concept
one must experience it in as many ways as possible and understand how it relates to themselves
and their environment. This process is called establishing concept development and relies
heavily on visual input. If a person has a visual impairment it may be hard to understand
concepts with great depth and scope. However, with explicit teaching of these abstract concepts
and using other senses to help develop an understanding, concept development is still possible.
Concept Example
To understand the concept of an object such as a hair dryer one must experience it using
as many senses as possible using concrete, functional, and abstract examples. The concrete
concepts of a hair dryer include the rubber bumpy handle, round smooth plastic buttons, a coiled
cord, plug, and mesh vent. Functionally, it is used to dry wet hair after a bath, shower, or swim.
To have an accurate abstract concept of a hair dryer you can listen to the hair dryer when it is
turned on and off, touch all of the parts (especially when there is a change in temperature), feel
the wind of the dryer on different settings, seeing the dryer, and smelling the dryer if it overheats.
Body Concepts
Understanding body image and how motor skills are learned are important in order to
relate to one’s environment. “Body image is used to encompass memory, imagination, awareness
of the environment, everyday life experiences, problem solving, anticipating the future, and
feeling secure about oneself in the environment.” (Jacobson, 2013, p. 44). Having a good body
image means you most likely ready for more advanced O&M training. Children must understand
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how their body parts work and relate to each. Jacobson states that it is important for “children
with visual impairments to understand how their arms and legs rotate and bend; how their feet
become planted on the ground; and how they can push off differently for purposeful movements
like walking, running, and jumping.” (Jacobson, 2013, p. 45). One of my 6-year-old students has
difficulty walking with a proper gait and stride. Her feet are also heavy when she walks. I move
her shoulders back to teach her proper posture, move her arms to the proper length in front of her
using hand over hand, and tell her to use soft feet. Then we practice walking up and down the
hall and outside the building. Some examples of body concepts are naming body parts, their
function, and range of motion.
Spatial Concepts
Spatial concepts include any concept that relates to objects in space around oneself.
Objects may be in front or behind you, inside or outside, above or below, and parallel and
perpendicular. Other spatial concepts can also include directions such as north, south, east, and
west. Once a person understands the positional concepts they will be able to understand where
objects are in relation to them. The next step is to be able to compare objects to other objects.
The spatial concept of left and right are also very important to teach students with vision
impairments. They will be able to travel with more independence when they are aware of a fence
to the right of them or a lamppost to the left.
Environmental Concepts
Environmental concepts are the objects one would encounter while moving through the
environment. These objects can be organized in different categories such as shape, temperature,
texture, and location. Some objects will be cues or they can be clues. Cues can help orient
oneself in their environment such as music coming from a specific store on the corner or the
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sound of an elevator. Clues are the secondary information that leads to cues. Usually there is
more than one clue. There may be elevators on every floor but you can tell what floor the pool is
on by the smell of the chlorine and the feel of humidity. Temperature concepts are also important
when orienting oneself in the environment. Knowing when it is hot and sunny and when it is icy
and cold will determine time of day to travel or when to walk down the sunny side of the street.
Textures of walking surfaces such as bumpy, smooth, soft, hard, wet, and dry are important
concepts that can assist with travel and mobility. Time concepts include understanding what
seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, yesterday, today, tomorrow, evening, and night mean.
Location concepts are taught to people with vision impairments so they are not only independent
but for safety purposes as well. One must walk in a straight line in order to avoid colliding with
others and to look graceful. Some examples of environmental concepts include traffic light, car,
bus, elevator, alley, cold, hot, smooth, hard, minute, hour, straight line, and curved line.
Teaching a Body Concept
Many of my primary students have difficulty with naming body parts and understanding
their function. I begin by teaching the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. This song not
only teaches the body parts but it can also teach the function. I add in more difficult body parts as
they learn the basic ones. I use a doll to teach where body parts are on others and read books
such as “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle.
Teaching a Spatial Concept
My Kindergarten student and I play a game called “Ruff’s House” to learn positional
concepts such as inside, outside, on top, underneath, beside, next to, etc. This game includes a
doghouse, a small stuffed dog, and 20 different textured bones that match. I will ask my student
to match the bones and then place them in different positions related to the dog or the doghouse.
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My student is also learning rhyming words. I have a bag of concrete items that match to the other
rhyming item. For example, I will ask her to find an item that rhymes with bug. She finds a rug
and then I will ask her to place the bug under the rug, on top of the rug, etc. Spatial concepts can
be incorporated into many other lessons and games.
Teaching an Environmental Concept
Making connections and having meaning will help students with visual impairments learn
concepts such as shape and measurement. Teaching shapes using real objects should be used
first. Crayon boxes, triangle cheese, books, cookies, crackers are all good examples of items used
that will have some meaning. The program Tactile Treasures is also used with a few of my
students. This program consists of 79 thermoformed sheets featuring tactile pictures created from
real objects that illustrate many concepts including shape and measurement. An accompanying
teacher's guidebook provides two suggested scripts or stories for every concept introduced. I
often substitute the names used in these scripts for my student’s name to make them more
meaningful.
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References
Jacobson, W. H. (2013). The art and science of teaching orientation and mobility to persons with
visual impairments (2nd ed.). New York: AFB Press.