Orientation and Mobility
Move through your world with independence and confidence.
What is Orientation and Mobility training?
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is a set of concepts, skills and techniques that teaches adults or children with low vision or blindness how to move around their environment safely, confidently and independently. By working with an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, you can learn strategies to travel safely and efficiently in different environments, under different conditions.
At Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Orientation and Mobility Services are available to people of all ages, from babies to older adults. Our services include:
- Orientation and Mobility Services for Children
- Early Childhood Orientation and Mobility
- School Aged Orientation and Mobility
- Orientation and Mobility Services for Adults and Older Adults
- Guide Dog Mobility
- Brain-Based Vision Orientation and Mobility
- vLIFE programs
Orientation and Mobility Services for children with low vision or blindness
From an early age, we learn to interact with the world through safe play, observing and exploring new environments. We learn about ourselves, each other, and how to be part of a community, while building confidence as we grow.
Children with low vision or blindness are no different. However, they need to develop a varied set of skills to understand and move through the world. These skills are taught by a specially trained Early Childhood Orientation and Mobility Specialist and designed for children aged zero to eight years. They will work collaboratively with you (the parent or guardian), your child and their wider support network.
.jpg?rect=0,1,7645,5098&w=3200&h=2134&auto=format&q=90)
Orientation and Mobility Services for adults with low vision or blindness
It is important to be able to move safely and independently through the world and live life the way you choose. Orientation and Mobility training for adults with low vision or blindness offer practical skills to keep you moving with confidence, regardless of your age.
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Orientation and Mobility Specialists can support you
to move around your home, workplace and community safely, assist you to travel independently on public transport, walk to your local café, participate in hobbies, use technology such as GPS and wayfinding devices and how to use a monocular or magnifier on the go. Whether you have experienced long-term low vision or a recent change in vision, Orientation and Mobility Services can help you build your capacity and independence to achieve your goals. This support is designed for people aged 18 years and over.
Guide Dog Mobility Services
Guide Dog Mobility Services support you to establish a trusting partnership with a Guide Dog, matched to your individual needs. Guide Dog Mobility can help you walk freely and feel confident moving through your world.
Guide Dogs are trained to help you navigate your daily environment and beyond. Thanks to their unique skills, Guide Dogs can recognise obstacles, move through large crowds with ease, board public transport and assist you in crossing busy roads, to get you almost anywhere you need or want to go.
Our Guide Dogs Mobility Instructors (GDMIs) can support you to work towards your goals and match you with a Guide Dog to form a successful partnership.
Brain-Based Vision Services
If you experience changes to your vision due to a neurological condition or brain-based event, such as a stroke or head trauma, our Brain-Based Vision Services can assist you. To ensure you stay as independent as possible and work towards your goals, our specially trained brain-based Orientation and Mobility Specialists can support you to adjust to these changes by developing new skills and finding the best compensatory strategies tailored to your needs.
vLIFE programs
If you are over 50 years of age and have low vision or blindness, and you’re experiencing a decline in your overall confidence with mobility, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s vLIFE program can support you. Delivered by specially trained vLIFE Orientation and Mobility Specialists, the program can help you improve your strength and balance and increase your confidence in your mobility, all while completing everyday activities.
How can an Orientation and Mobility Specialist help me?
Our O&M Specialists understand your low vision or blindness needs and personal circumstances, providing flexible and tailored services based on your individual situation. They can meet you at home or in the community and provide services in person or through telepractice (for example, over the phone or via video call).
An Orientation and Mobility Specialist can:
- Explore how your level of vision impacts your ability to move around safely.
- Assist you to identify and work towards your Orientation and Mobility goals.
- Provide advice and Orientation and Mobility training on how to best use your vision when moving through the environment.
- Discuss and demonstrate how different technologies, such as mobility aids (for example, a white cane or electronic device) or a GPS might be able to assist you.
- Teach you orientation techniques and strategies for safe mobility.
- Review and make recommendations to increase your safety in the environments you are required to travel within, such as at home, school, the workplace or in the community.
- Build your capacity to advocate for better environmental access in your local community.
Hear from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Client Stephen about how Orientation and Mobility Services helped them live the life they choose.
Stephen lives with autoimmune retinopathy, a condition that gradually led to complete blindness. He initially struggled with disorientation, which caused him to fear leaving the house.
When he started receiving Orientation and Mobility support, he began walking regularly to the beachfront, something he always used to do, as he learnt transferable mobility skills and gained confidence using his cane. “I think the biggest change has been getting my independence back,” Stephen says. “If I can feel it, I can do it. It just takes me a bit longer.”
Through the combination of Orientation and Mobility and Assistive Technology services, Stephen’s independence increased, and he’s been able to reconnect with meaningful activities in his life.
What funding can I use to receive Orientation and Mobility support from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT?
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is a registered NDIS and My Aged Care provider. This means many people can access Orientation and Mobility support services through their NDIS plan or Home Care Package. Find out more about funding programs and supports.
We understand that sometimes people who need Orientation and Mobility Services may not be eligible to receive government funding. If you have low vision or blindness and do not have access to external funding, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT can support you to achieve your goals using funding provided through generous donations from the community.