Concurrent Session F
12:30-2:00 Monday Concurrent Session F (part 1)
- DeafBlind-Centered Approach to Tactile Learning and Exploration - Heather Lightfoot, Edgenie Bellah, Amy Parker
ROOM: TBA (Presented once only!)
Traditional O&M often overlooks tactile strategies essential for DeafBlind travelers. This session explores intentional touch for orientation, mobility, and connection. Through video analysis and role-play, participants practice introducing these techniques respectfully and ethically. These person-centered methods provide clarity and assurance, broadening the specialist's toolkit to benefit all learners.
 Stop! Collaborate and Listen! - Audra Bishop, Kelley Nicholson, Lisa Hanson
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
Working with a wide-range of professionals to coordinate care for our students can be a challenge. From coordinating service time to addressing goals and objectives, this session seeks to make those challenges manageable and improve outcomes for our students while supporting families.
- Navigating Your Way to Independence - Mike May, Jack Mitchell
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
This presentation provides an overview of why GPS is useful for blind travelers, common elements of GPS apps, as well as the differences in information presentation between the commonly available options. Then we hit the streets, giving participants the chance to experience blind travel with the aid of GPS.
- Finding a Path to Efficient Map Readers - Alicia Wolfe
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
How do we help students move from “reading the map” to truly using it? Join us to explore the path to efficient tactile map skills. We’ll discuss tactual skill progression, teaching strategies, and create maps with APH tools. Leave with practical ideas, resources, and ready-to-use strategies for everyday mobility instruction.
- Fighting culture, poverty, and family ties to help consumers find acceptance, independence, and dignity - Toni I. Walls, Mary Beth Kelty
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
In the Appalachian area, of Huntington, WV multiple cultural groups coincide. Three main commonalities rise to attention. Poverty, Familial ties, and personal stubbornness. Through the use of case studies and discussion we will search for solutions to encourage clients to accept assistance and training, to welcome aids and devices, and to embrace their “ability” to overcome the difficulties that vision loss has presented them with.
- Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
We will share two community-based programs for SC youth focused on exploring transportation options used by active travelers. Travelers received engaging O&M instruction, including using different transportation methods. Travelers built their independent living, technology, recreational, and social skills. Example activities will be shared in addition to pre-post program assessment data.
- Before the Guide Dog: Two Families' Paths to Independence Belinda Fayard, Megan Fayard, Nicol Medina, Grace Medina-
ROOM: TBA (Repeated at 2:30)
This presentation shares the lived experiences of two mothers and their daughters as the daughters navigated becoming guide dog teams. It examines how independence was fostered over time, the vital role of O&M professionals in building readiness, and how the true goal was not a guide dog, but independence, while families learned to balance fear, trust, and letting go.
2:00-2:30 Break - snacks in exhibit area!
2:30-4:00 Monday Concurrent Session F - Part 2
- GDMI- Improving the skills and confidence of handlers with central vision - Kristen Oplinger and Lukas Franck
ROOM: TBA (Presented once only! This session is intended for Guide Dog Mobility Instructors, but everyone is welcome)
The Seeing Eye has developed, implemented, and refined a partial occlusion training program that has greatly benefited our handlers with functional residual central vision. Implementation of this approach has led to greater confidence in guide dog handling skills and a reduced need for “refresher” training with their guide dog when vision continues to deteriorate.
- Balancing Workloads for Itinerant O&M Specialists: What the Research Says and How to Manage Workload to Prevent Burnout - Rona Pogrund, Katie Ericson
ROOM: TBA (Presented once only!)
Using a workload rather than a caseload approach provides more accuracy of what itinerant O&M Specialists do. Data on O&M specialists’ workloads will be reviewed, the validated Visual Impairment Scale of Staffing Pattern Analysis (VISSPA) for documenting workload will be demonstrated, and strategies to advocate for reasonable workloads will be shared.
- Stop! Collaborate and Listen! - Audra Bishop, Kelley Nicholson, Lisa Hanson
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
- Navigating Your Way to Independence - Mike May, Jack Mitchell
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
- Finding a Path to Efficient Map Readers - Alicia Wolfe
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
- Fighting culture, poverty, and family ties to help consumers find acceptance, independence, and dignity - Toni Walls, Mary Beth Kelty
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
- Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
- Before the Guide Dog: Two Families' Paths to Independence - Belinda Fayard, Nicol Medina, Grace Medina, Megan Fayard
ROOM: TBA (Same as presented at 12:30)
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