Pathway to Licensure as Orientation & Mobility Specialist:
The Ohio Department of Education funds a program through the School Study Council of Ohio (SSCO) to address the need for professional personnel for students who are visually impaired. This program, at The Ohio State University, prepares Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists (COMS) who obtain ACVREP certification enabling them to work with individuals who are visually impaired.
There are approximately 1,500 legally blind students registered for the federal quota in Ohio, approximately 500 of whom attend Developmentally Disabled programs or other facilities. Also, an unknown number of children with visual impairments/blindness are served by either 504 plans or by accommodations only. The latter are not included in child count data but will, in many cases, profit from the expertise of specially prepared Orientation & Mobility Specialists. There is currently a critical lack of services to this population. Approximately 130 students currently attend the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB). Many students diagnosed with multiple disabilities have problems that require vision instruction/consultation; these students are not reported as visually impaired in child count data.
Currently, in the State of Ohio, there are approximately 25 Orientation & Mobility instructors who provide services to school-aged children. In summer 2011, the first cadre of students completed the 12-month Orientation & Mobility certification program at The Ohio State University, the only program in the state. This comprehensive program prepares both Intervention Specialists for the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists.
- Many courses in the training program are available online; thus there is capacity to serve statewide needs. Students enrolled in the program receive tuition support for coursework leading to certification.
- Active recruitment has been ongoing with the development of a website and brochures which have been widely distributed at local sites as well as state and national professional meetings.
- SSCO provides technical assistance to the Vision Intervention Specialists and Orientation & Mobility programs with project meetings, client satisfaction surveys and impact evaluations.
For a descriptive Orientation & Mobility Certification brochure or detailed information about the OSU Program in Visual Impairment.
To review the annual 2011 report.
The following links are resources regarding Visual Impairment, including Orientation & Mobility:
Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals
American Council of the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind
Association for Education and Rehabiliation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
National Federation of the Blind
The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Thomas M. Stephens - Project Director (614) 785-1163 x 115
Kathy Richards - Project Assistant (614) 785-1163 x 111