[blindkid] O&M maps

Tue Aug 18 18:08:52 UTC 2009

Hi Carrie and Leslie,

It does make sense that a map can convey a lot of information without all 
the distractions.  It just seems to me that going over and over the same map 
can really be boring.  I don't know the actual amount of time he's spent on 
the map but when I see him travel confidently around the school, going over 
the map again and again and having the map as a goal seems excessive.   I 
guess the problem is more that the O&M class isn't fun and challenging to 
David but he is a good traveler (for the most part) so maybe he gets more 
out of it than he thinks he does.

Sally Thomas
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carrie Gilmer" <carrie.gilmer at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] O&M maps

> Dear Sally,
> Once while in Washington DC for our NFB causes I was traveling with two
> blind adult Minnesotans who are excellent travelers and who had been to DC
> and who had for years traveled around the capitol and congressional office
> buildings. I found a tactile model map of the area and the mall, 
> everything
> was labeled in Braille and had model buildings on it--it was a great piece
> of work for both sighted and blind to get a mental map of the whole 
> picture.
> They were very excited to see it, they learned something new (as did I) 
> and
> all three of us got a better mental map of the whole thing in proportion 
> and
> how buildings and streets within the larger picture related to each other.
>
> I know several good travel instructors who use felt boards and tactile 
> maps
> to lay out intersections for the simple and new concepts to a novice
> traveler and also maps to gain a bird's eye view just as sighted people do
> to get the whole picture and form a mental map. We have done this with our
> kids at Saturday school too. We have a large 4 story mansion for our 
> center,
> you can get "lost" in the details and not grasp the whole picture--I think
> you miss something if you don't have both. Exploration of details and a 
> map
> I believe work together to form a complete mental map--they enhance each
> other. Of course you need GOOD and accurate maps.
>
> That said, What is "a lot of time"? For a familiar large building, once or
> twice looking at the map should do it--or a periodic few minute review
> perhaps if the school is very large and laid out unusually or if he is
> having difficulty finding his way. Even for an unfamiliar place a couple 
> of
> times looking at it--or a quick review before heading out--in the same way 
> a
> sighted person might review a map of something. Some (of all kinds) people
> have trouble with maps and never learned to read them--or have trouble
> transferring the concept of the whole to their route within it--for others
> who have trouble with direction I have found learning to read a map has 
> been
> really beneficial in them forming a mental map (sighted and blind) and 
> thus
> their route within it.
>
> Once at a Saturday school a parent did not want to bring their child. He 
> had
> autism and the mother said-he can not read maps, he will never travel 
> alone,
> this class will not be relevant to us. I encouraged her strongly anyway 
> and
> they came. We had a tactile outline of the room (which was not 
> rectangular),
> he grasped the concept that the tactile line was the shape of the room. I
> had a model house with removable stairs. I handed him the stairs--he
> commented "oh this is stairs", we talked about how his house was different
> from the model--where the placement of the front door was for example. His
> parents were shocked at how much he understood and knew (they were even
> living in a new house). It completely changed how they approached his 
> travel
> and their expectations for what he could do. It also made them realize 
> that
> he could/should! have independence and knowledge WITHIN supervised travel. 
> I
> have set up tables (square) and we all walked around them getting an idea 
> of
> the several block radius and buildings before we go out--it really 
> enhanced
> their comprehension (the really 'smart' kids too).
>
> I am unsure of the value of him creating (or reading) maps of the school
> (why not more and new places?) at length--unless he was really having
> trouble grasping the concept of the whole. Was this to teach him to create
> maps? I can't speak to how often blind people create their own
> maps--honestly I have never heard someone mentioning doing it, so I will 
> be
> very interested to hear.
>
>
>
> Carrie Gilmer, map lover :)
>
> (BTW:  so glad to hear you finally got an answer for David's headaches and
> it was not something really bad or difficult to treat)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Sally Thomas
> Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:00 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: [blindkid] O&M maps
>
> I'm curious about the use of orientation maps by blind people.  My son's 
> O&M
> instructor has him spend a lot of time creating tactile maps of his 
> school.
> Do others do this?  Do people use this kind of map in every day life?  It
> doesn't make a lot of sense to me--if he is familiar with the environment
> why does he need a map?  If he's not, wouldn't exploration be a good way 
> to
> learn about the building?
>
> Sally Thomas
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