[NABS-L] Questions Regarding Orientation and Mobility Certifications

[Sami Osborne]

Hi Jackson,



I'm not certified in O and M instruction myself, so I can't really say anything to your specific certification questions.



That being said, I think I might have an idea for why it might be more difficult for blind people to obtain certification than the sighted population. I think it's possible that the main reason for this is the general perception people have that it might be harder for blind indiriduals to teach orientation and mobility skills than sighted teachers. Yes, blind people can perhaps teach students proper cane technique, and might have to teach hand-over-hand if necessary to make sure they are using their cane properly. However, part of O and M instruction is also learning a new route to get from point A to point B, which people probably might assume is "easier" to accomplish for a sighted instructor to teach their blind student. Perhaps this is because sighted people are able to use their vision to see what's coming ahead on the route they're going (i.e. street signs, potential obstacles, stores, etc.), even if they may have already mapped out the route in advance. As a result, the observations that a sighted O and M instructor would report to their blind student would seemingly be more precise and definitive, and the student could then retain this information should they need to for future reference.



On the other hand, while blind people can certainly utilize their cane/travel skills to master a potential route, the observations I mentioned earlier might be more speculative for us at times, meaning we can assume that the obstacle we encounter is probably such and such an object based on past experience, but it could actually be something else entirely. Additionally, if the blind mobility instructor can't map out an entire route and have to constantly ask for sighted assistance... well, the consequences to their job would probably not bear thinking of. More importantly, however, this lack of definitive, precise knowledge might be confusing to the student; this is something I can attest to myself from personal experience. Having been trained pretty much purely by sighted mobility instructors my whole life, I know personally that I'm much more likely to have a route completely mastered pretty much to perfection when I have all the necessary information conveyed to me in a precise, accurate manner, rather than more ambiguously.



As a result, it seems to me that the main reason it's seemingly more difficult to obtain O and M certification as a blind student is based on  able-bodied perceptions, namely that blind people might be more likely to expose their students to dangerous and harmful situations than sighted instructors, and that the information regarding specific routes may come across as more ambiguous than definitive.



That being said, I'm pretty sure there must be workarounds blind instructors can use to get their way around that, although I'm not really sure what these ways are myself. I'm also not against blind people teaching travel instruction at all, because I'm all for combatting sighted misconceptions just like anyone else. In addition, I think having blind O and M instructors could potentially be advantageous to blind students at times. For example, some sighted instructors are reluctant to teach students how to use public transportation independently, particularly the subway, because they think it's too dangous and risky for someone who is blind to use on their own. Consequently, a blind instructor might feel more empathetic to the student's desire to learn to take public transport on their own, and feel more inclined to teach that as such.



There are also a couple of things that we blind individuals might notice right off, that sighted people wouldn't really pay attention to or even consider. For example, I recently just taught myself how to get on and off of airplanes on my own, without the need for anyone to personally assist me up/down the jetway. One thing I've noticed is that on the smaller planes (not so much the case on larger-type aircrafts) is that it's actually pretty easy as a blind cane traveler to locate the exit of the plane from your seat, because the seating area is pretty much all carpeted floor. On the other hand, the entrance/exit to the plane is tiled, and you can turn to the left to exit pretty much as soon as the floor changes from carpet to tiles. This is an observation that I reported to my sighted mother afterwords, and she told me she never realized that before.



I hope this info is helpful, and I hope you continue to advocate for yourself to achieve your goal of obtaining O and M certification instruction. I'd really love to read what others have to say about this. Again, my apologies for not being able to help you with your specific certification questions, but I do hope you found what I shared to be helpful.



Sami     On Aug 9, 2023 9:11 AM, "Jackson T. Schwoebel via NABS-L" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
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> To Orientation and Mobility Specialists:
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> I have some questions for anyone with their orientation and mobility certification. These questions pertain to the Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) and the National Orientation and Mobility Certification )NOMC). As an individual pursuing a master's degree next year in Orientation and Mobility, I wonder why there is such a vast division between these two certifications. I am aware that in the past, sighted individuals did not think that a blind person could teach Orientation and Mobility; therefore, the NOMC was to combat this. So, I do not need a history lesson on this.
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> I wonder why there is still a division between these two certifications and why it is still difficult for a blind person to obtain their COMS, but a sighted person can get both their COMS and their NOMC. Does anyone have any insight into this and knows of any blind people who have received their COMS or are dual-certified in both their COMS and their NOMC? I am just wondering why there is a separation of these certifications. Why must a blind person obtain a different accreditation than a sighted person? Anyone with any insight into this would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, and I am looking forward to some responses.
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> Kind Regards,
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> Jackson Schwoebel
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> Jackson T. Schwoebel, A.A.
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> He/Him/His
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> Secretary | Ohio Association of Blind Students
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> Phone: (706) 905–1963
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> Business Email: jtschwoebel at yahoo.com
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> NFB Email: jtschwoebel.nfb at gmail.com
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