SOMA/SWOMA Program 2026

    Click here for bios of the presenters
    Click here for descriptions of the sessions

    Topics

    • Access
    • Canes and AMDs
    • Children
    • Collaboration and Teamwork
    • Culture / Community / Family
    • DeafBlind
    • Guide Dogs
    • GDMI Track
    • Maps and Models
    • Preparing / Training for a Guide Dog
    • O&M Programs and Issues
    • Professional growth
    • Teaching Strategies
    • Technology / GPS

    Sessions

      Access

      • Accessibility at Beaverton Transit Center: Improving Public Transit Through Participatory Design - Amy Parker, Katja LaFlamme, Cleo McClintock, Kirsten Hille, Rhianna Baldree
      • Rising to the Challenge: Accessing Modern Elevators Without Sight - L. Dianne Luce, Joey Gan

      Canes and AMDs

      • AMD Transitions, Modification & Design - Lynn Gautreaux
      • Quick and Easy Cane Repairs and Modifications - Lynn Gautreaux
      • Walking surface change detection with the long cane: Factors that affect surface texture discrimination - Dae Kim
      • The Art of AMDs - Ellen Blaydes

      Children

      • Growing Up with Confidence: How the Belt Cane Allows Incidental and Active Learning to Occur Naturally - Geri Darko, Marjie Wood
      • Exploring the World Through Play: Promoting Early Movement & Exploration in Birth-3 O&M - Amy Fletcher and Rita Garcia
      • ECC: Not a Curriculum but a Compass - Susie Drake
      • Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum (also listed under "Programs and issues")
      • Integrating META Smart Glasses into a Summer O&M Program for High School Students Preparing for College and Work - Susan Lee, Alecia Davidson, Amanda Perez, Patrick Rich (also listed under "technology")
      • Music, Movement and Mobility in O&M -- Jennifer Pelletier (also listed under "Teaching strategies")

      Collaboration and Teamwork

      • Stop! Collaborate an Listen - Audra Bishop, Kelley Nicholson, Lisa Hanson
      • How to Train Your Teams So Generalization is a Breeze - Kassandra Maloney
      • Moving Together: The Power of Collaboration - Amy Hayslette
      • It Takes a Team: Case Studies in Collaborative O&M Instruction for Deafblind Learners - Stacey Colley (also listed under "DeafBlind")
      • Individualized Approach to Personnel Preparation: Achieving More Through Collaboration - Laura Bozeman, Nora Griffin-Shirley

      Culture / Community / Family

      • Fighting culture, poverty, and family ties to help consumers find acceptance, independence, and dignity - Toni I. Walls; Mary Beth Kelty
      • Effective School, Family, and Community Engagement for Today’s World - Courtney Forman, Edgenie Bellah, Hex Lightfoot, Yolanda Shaw

      DeafBlind

      • Instruction Through Touch: Tactile Maps and Direction Giving for DeafBlind Travelers - Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan (also listed under "Maps and Models")
      • Touching Independence: Considerations for O&M with DeafBlind Clients - Jenna Rydl
      • Modifications and Communication Strategies for Working with O&M Students who are DeafBlind? - Taylor McCaffrey, Debbie Fiderer, Rosanna Babore
      • DeafBlind-Centered Orientation & Mobility in Practice: Tactile Instruction, Co-Presence, and Relational Navigation - Hayley Broadway & Elysia Benton
      • It Takes a Team: Case Studies in Collaborative O&M Instruction for Deafblind Learners - Stacey Colley (also listed under "Collaboration and Teamwork")

      Guide Dogs

      • A Day in the Life - Chelsea White, Ruthanne Dewey
      • Successful Partnerships through Positive Training and Cooperative Communication - Lauren Christie, Bill Lang

      GDMI Track

      • The Seeing Eye's Partial Occlusion Program - Lukas Franck, Kristen Oplinger
      • Moving Forward: Technology and the Guide Dog Partnership - Bill Lang, Kristen Oplinger (also listed under "technology")

      Preparing / Training for a Guide Dog

      • Guide Dog Readiness: Tips, Tools, and Tricks - Rachal Havens, Alyssa Ottis
      • Comprehensive O&M Support Across the Guide Dog Journey - Meredith Bryde, Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan
      • Before the Guide Dog: Two Families’ Paths to Independence - Belinda Fayard, Megan Fayard, Nicol Medina, Grace Medina
      • From Cane to Canine: Guiding the Transition with Practical Strategies for O&M Specialists - Hannah Jones, Garret Waldie, Nikki Wentz, Danielle Cuenoud

      Maps and Models

      • Finding a Path to Efficient Map Readers - Jennifer Brooks, Alicia Wolfe
      • Tactile Tech in O&M: Engaging Learners Through 3D Printing and Laser Cutting - Maddie Goswick and Susan Drake
      • Instruction Through Touch: Tactile Maps and Direction Giving for DeafBlind Travelers - Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan (also listed under "DeafBlind")

      O&M Programs

      • Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum (also listed under "Children")
      • Not All Models Are Created Equal: Exploring Inequities in State O&M Referral Systems - Justin Kaiser, Tina Herzberg, Tessa McCarthy
      • Building Core O&M Skills Through Thematic Units - Shelby Kannanaikkal, Stephanie Herlich (also listed under "Teaching Strategies")
      • “Most Outstanding”: What Defines Excellence in O&M Instruction? - Katie Ericson
      • The Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Emotional Benefits of Seminar Based Instruction for Older Blind Persons with Visual Impairments - Anastasia Overcash

      Professional Growth

      • Charting the Course: A Conversation for New and Seasoned O&M Specialists - Katie Ericson, Courtney Forman
      • Balancing Workloads for Itinerant O&M Specialists: What the Research Says and How to Manage Workload to Prevent Burnout - Rona Pogrund, Katie Ericson
      • Leading from Where You Are: Leadership Mindset and Practice in O&M - Amanda Stolz, Alex Livingston

      Teaching Strategies

      • Music, Movement and Mobility in O&M - Jennifer Pelletier (also listed under "children")
      • Beyond Technique: Psychosocial Feedback Loops in Orientation & Mobility - Alex Livingston
      • Essential Tools of the Trade for the Orientation and Mobility Specialist - Mary Shore, Scott Turner, Beverly Jackson, Marjie Wood
      • Turn Everyday Board Games into O&M Activities - Miriam Beall
      • Implementing the Rosen Method: Case Studies on the Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Teaching - Amy Parker, Mallary Hoefer, Brooklyn Hufstader, Emily Algranati; Jennifer Stanley; Remina Goude; Claire Rivas; Zach Stanley; Sav Schultz
      • Cross to Win - Linda Hinkle
      • Building Core O&M Skills Through Thematic Units - Shelby Kannanaikkal, Stephanie Herlich (also listed under "Programs")

      Technology / GPS

      • Navigating Your Way to Independence - Mike May, Jack Mitchell
      • Moving Forward: Technology and the Guide Dog Partnership - Bill Lang, Kristen Oplinger (also listed under "GDMI")
      • Unlocking Independence- SMART Technology Solutions for Wheelchair Users with Visual Impairments - Lindsey Sharpe, Angela Regier
      • Integrating META Smart Glasses into a Summer O&M Program for High School Students Preparing for College and Work - Susan Lee, Alecia Davidson, Amanda Perez, Patrick Rich (also listed under "children")