Office of Educational Services & Support

Orientation and mobility services are included as follows in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Amendments of 1997:

34 CFR §300.24 Related services.

(a)General. As used in this part, the term related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes speech-language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. The term also includes school health services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.

6. Orientation and mobility services
   1. means services provided to blind or visually impaired students by qualified personnel to enable those students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community; and
   2. Includes teaching students the following as appropriate:
   1. Spatial and environmental concepts and use of information received by the senses (such as sound, temperature and vibrations) to establish, maintain, or regain orientation and line of travel (for example, using sound at a traffic light to cross the street);
   2. To use the long cane, as appropriate, to supplement visual travel skills or as a tool for safely negotiating the environment for students with no available travel vision;
   3. To understand and use remaining vision and distance low vision aids and;
   4. Other concepts, techniques, and tools.

GENERAL DEFINITIONS OF ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY:

Orientation is knowing where you are in space (e.g. mental mapping, familiarization with room, etc.).

Mobility is the ability to get from one place to another safely and efficiently.

BASIC SUPPOSITION:

Orientation and Mobility is a related service available to any child. While "orientation and mobility services" was added to the list of examples of related services in recognition of its critical importance to children who are blind or have visual impairments, children with other disabilities may also need to be taught the skills they need to navigate their environments (e.g. "travel training"). The addition of Orientation and Mobility services to the list of identified related services is not intended to result in the denial of appropriate services for children with disabilities who do not have visual impairments or blindness. In addition, travel training is important to enable students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environment in school, home, at work, and in the community.

SUGGESTED PROCEDURE:

STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED whether as a single disability or as a component of a multiple disability:

Typically, the orientation and mobility needs of these individuals are met through the services of a qualified Orientation and Mobility specialist. These students should be screened to determine the need for Orientation and Mobility as a related service. This screening should be done by or under the supervision of qualified vision personnel. Screening should include spatial and environmental concepts, use of sensory information, long cane, and low vision aides. Additional areas to be considered may include travel safety, efficiency, dependency on others, independence and understanding of environments and others identified by the team.

Based on the screening results, the Individual Education Plan team will determine the need for additional evaluations by a qualified Orientation and Mobility specialist.

STUDENTS WITH OTHER DISABILITIES:

Typically, the orientation and mobility needs of these individuals are met through the district’s educational curricula. These services are usually provided by regular and/or special education personnel, not Orientation and Mobility specialists.

Individuals whose needs are not being met through their educational curriculum may need to be screened to determine the need for orientation and mobility as a related service. Screening could include review of records, interviews with staff, parents, students and observations across a variety of environments. Areas to be considered may include travel safety, efficiency, dependency on others, independence and understanding of environments.

Based on screening results, the Individual Education Plan team will determine the need for additional evaluations by a qualified Orientation and Mobility specialist.

Federal Register, Vol. 64, No. 48 /March 12, 1999, Rules and Regulations,
§300.24 Related Services. P. 12523-12424