Last week at Gentry

I completed my O&M Internship at Gentry. It was truly bittersweet. I was to be going home and seeing my family which I truly missed. It was also difficult to leave because I have made such wonderful friends and had a great learning experience there. The O&M supervisor gave me a going away luncheon on my last day that was wonderful.

I felt like I made great progress with my student "A". She completed all the lessons and I could really see her confidence build during our last lesson into the busier city district of Sylacauga. I made this lesson a fun one for both of us by involving some yummy motivation- ice cream! In the town at the north end, there is a Blue Bell ice cream plant that also has a tasting ice cream parlor. On our last visit we went into the parlor and got a scoop of ice cream- what a great treat and end to our lessons. We both enjoyed it and new we had accomplished a great deal during our lessons.

Student "F" also began to make improvements in his lessons although it did take some time. My supervisor will be closing out his instruction time until he has employment near his home. Then she will work with him on the specific route he will need to travel back and forth to work.

Student "J" completed our lesson of the residential route and will continue by moving on to a business district route.

Student "AI" completed his campus route lesson with me and will continue lessons with the instructor on residential and business districts. When he has completed his technology classes the O&M instructor will also go to his hometown and college campus to work with him on routes their. This student requires continued rote learning of lessons due to his short term memory loss and is excited to learn the Trekker Breeze GPS device to help him learn his routes.

I am going to miss working with these students because I enjoy seeing each students' accomplishments and feel I have helped each student in a different way to become a more independent person and traveler.

Week of July 15th

This has been an interesting week. My student "F" is visually impaired and is autistic. His visual impairment does not really have too much of an impact on his travel but the autism characteristics definitely make it a bit more challenging. He travels very quickly so I discovered in the beginning of the week that one of the main focuses of his lesson was to slow him down when traveling. We have been working in a semi-residential/ business area because that will best mimic the type of area he will be working in once he is back in his hometown of Birmingham. The hope is for him to gain adequate skills to get some type of employment near his home where he can either walk or take a short bus trip to work. I had a meeting with his physician that he has worked with for a few years to work on ways that will best help him learn. He is very literal and concrete and has used picture cards with words on other assignments. I am working with him to develop the understanding of the steps he should take to determine when it is safe to cross a street. I made a picture card using picture to help him understand the steps to help us cross safely.
 

Student "A" is progressing very well we have moved onto the small business district of Talladega so that she has more opportunities to cross at business intersections. She seems more and more confident and very comfortable when traveling each day and is always very interested in what our next lesson is going to entail. I love it when students are motivated, eager to learn and really wants to be challenged!

I evaluated a new student "AI". He is a male in his early twenties that has cortical blindness, and alexia sine agraphia due to global anoxic brain injury. He basically had a heart attack (later found out due to a genetic heart defect) when he was playing a game of basketball. His brain was without oxygen for over 6 minutes causing trauma to the brain. He was in a coma for almost a month, in the hospital for ten months then had to relearn all skills such as walking, talking writing, eating, etc. One of the biggest issues is currently is facing is balance issues, short term memory loss and the ability to see print but not the ability to process print, therefore he cannot read any words. He is taking classes on a college campus about 2 hours north of Talladega in his hometown. I have recommended that he use an ID cane for safety issues as well as giving him some control and balance with drop-offs and curbs. I also recommended later on to try to use a GPS device to landmark his daily route because of his short term memory loss. I have found that his short term memory is about 5-8 minutes. He often repeats himself or asks the same questions. We will work on his class route here at Gentry repeatedly in order to get it into his long term memory storage bank.

Another student I evaluated this week is "J". He is in his early fifties and has been totally blind in both eyes since the age of 16 due to trauma to the head. He has detached retinas. He has been using a cane but does not travel alone anywhere almost always with a family member. He uses his cane well so I recommended we work on some residential and then possibly small business areas.

At the end of this week I traveled to another town called Sylacauga, Al. to work with a senior citizen that had come to the Gentry Camp SAVI program in early May. We went to his home to work on cane skills in his neighborhood. His streets near his home did not have sidewalks so we will be going back next week to take him into the downtown area to work some more with him.

I have enjoyed this week because it has gotten busier and we have traveled to other areas so I have been able to see the diverse communities here in Alabama. One more week and I am done!

The week of July 8th

This was the week after our 2 week break. All students and staff at Gentry took a break and the facility was closed. Starting back on Monday was tough! One of my students "B" did not return after the break due to medical reasons. I continue to work with student "A".

 I also evaluated a new student "F" and began O&M services with him. "F" is a 21 year old young man who is legally blind with autism and intellectually disabled. His eye condition is microphthalmia and coloboma with light perception only in his left eye. His eye condition does allow him to travel independently. He is able to learn a route rotely but has difficulty with problem solving and generalizations. I am working with him to help improve these skills when crossing streets safely. He had difficulty waving cars on so the people in the vehicles understood him(he used a very floppy fish hand) so I have taught him to wave cars on with the appropriate hand motions. We have been working on how to determine when it is safe to cross intersections. Once he is back in his home town he will need an instructor to teach him the route needed to travel to work on a daily basis.

My student "A" is progressing nicely. I am so pleased! This week began with rain so played the TREKKS game to increase and reinforce directional skills. The remainder of the week we began by
working in a semi-residential/business  area. She began her route in a residential area near the Alabama School for the Blind and traveled to a Walgreens located on Battle St. which is the main street through Talladega.  By the end of this week she progressed to completing and reversing the route with no problems. In her initial evaluation with her,  she explained that she had many fears about crossing big intersections. She had a "not so good" experience with a previous O&M instructor in a business district so I have purposely taken it slow with her to allow time to build up her self-confidence when traveling.

This week ended on Saturday with a trip to University of Alabama to observe my supervisor orient a student to fall classes. This student has been at the campus for 2 years but needed some review on bus routes and to find the routes to buildings to new classes. This was a beautiful campus! And a great experience for me!

break

The Alabama School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf as well as the Helen Keller School are all 9 or 10 month programs. The E.H. Gentry facility is different in that it is a 12 month facility. It offers programs that start up several times throughout the year. Because it is a 12 month facility it was closed for two weeks over the July 4th holiday. This was a much needed break for me as well and I really enjoyed going home and seeing my family. I even was able to get some projects completed around the house!

learning the Trekker Breeze

During this weeks lessons on residential routes, we began to use the Trekker Breeze. It was very easy to learn and easy to use as well. I went with another intern before a lesson with my students and entered the route into the device. Because this is an older neighborhood with older sidewalks I made sure to enter landmarks into the device for the student. In several areas on the route, there were places where the sidewalk had been removed, broken up due to tree root damage and even areas where objects such as large railroad ties or stone stuck out into the path of the sidewalk. When on the lessons with the students I taught the students how to use it when walking a routine path they might use. The students really liked using the device and felt it would be helpful for them to have in the future. I also feel this would be a great addition to the students "toolbox" and really liked using it.
I felt for student  "B" that already had good cardinal direction skills, it would be a great help because she travels so much. For student "A" who is just learning to use her cardinal direction skills, it would be a useful tool for her to confirm to herself that she is traveling in the intended direction. I hope theses students will be able to later use this device or a device like this to assist them when traveling.

Another week at Gentry

I forgot to mention in my last post about another student I am working with so that will this posts focus. I will call her "B",  she is a lovely lady who lost her vision around the age of 5 years old to Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Optic Nerve. She has one prosthetic eye and only limited vision in the other. She is very independent and willing to explore the small town of Talladega. She has two homes- one in Alabama about an hour from Gentry and another in Atlanta. She has two homes, with a car and driver at each home as well as two small businesses. Because of the economy these businesses have slowed tremendously. This is why she is at Gentry. She is currently enrolled in the Gentry BEP program where they will teach her the vending machine business. Being a woman in her early fifties, she has developed some mobility habits that we have been working on. Indoors she uses the diagonal cane technique and has grown accustom to using it outdoors as well. This is not always the safest choice so we are working on her remembering to use the touch technique outdoors. She is getting better and found it helpful several times on our lessons. She has learned the Gentry campus and the classes she attends on the campus. We have also learned to use the catwalk in front of the campus in order to cross the street safely. She had little problems with it and only some trouble when in the shaded areas under the tree lined part of the route. We have worked on a residential route and we continue to work on cardinal directions when on the route. She feels most comfortable walking at a slower pace which sometimes can be difficult with the time frame allotted for her mobility class. We will begin to work on a business district route next week.

I really love being outdoors and moving with the students. I have gotten to know my students better and have a better idea of what kinds of things the students need in their daily lives now and for future use. 

Week 5 at Gentry

The last 2 weeks I  have been working with 2 students exclusively. One student-A, lost her vision in the last 5 years to Histoplamosis. She currently lives in a very rural area in Alabama with a friend but once she has completed her rehab at Gentry she plans to move to Birmingham which is much more populated and she hopes to be able to be more independent. One of her goals is to cross the streets independently in the business district. Previously she did receive some O&M instruction in a business district but states she was very uncomfortable with the instructor and that instructor made her very nervous. One of my goals with her is to teach her to travel safely in this type of area so I am working slowly to gain her trust and allow her to feel comfortable in doing so. We began by learning the Gentry campus and the routes to her classes. I feel I have built up a really good rapport with her and hope she continues to feel comfortable with me and the instruction.

Week 4 at Gentry

My internship here at Gentry has been going very well. Gentry is a rehab vocational facility that clients living in Alabama can come, get evaluated and learn the vending machine business. This is a great way for clients who are Blind or visually impaired , Deaf or DeafBlind can become more productive in the community. Gentry teaches a variety of classes including independent living skills, assistive technology and braille. Once the clients are evaluated, the clients are given a class schedule based on their needs. They stay for an average of 6-8 weeks. They live in a dorm setting usually sharing a room with another student. Once they progress through the basic Independent living class the client will move into a semi- independent room which they are required to cook at least one meal a day for themselves. Then they will progress to a duplex apartment setting which is located at the far end of the campus. This stage usually lasts about 4 weeks. The clients are given a budget and must cook 2 meals a day for themselves. Once the instructors feel the student has mastered this stage, the clients will be released and assisted with finding housing if needed. They are then given a territory to work the vending machine business. While the clients are here at Gentry they are also given orientation and mobility instruction if needed. Most at least need campus orientation and orientation to the vending machines that will be worked at various locations around town. I am enjoying being here at Gentry and learning how the facility works to help clients in the community.

O&M Internship at EH Gentry in Alabama

This week I began my O&M Internship at the EH Gentry facility in Talladega, Alabama. This is an adult rehab facility for clients who are visually impaired, deaf or deaf-blind. This first week was really a little hectic. Debra, my supervisor was in the midst of preparing for the next week of Camp SAVI (Seniors Adjusting to Visual Impairments). The week consisted on making sure all the ducks were in a row- getting items together for classes, finalizing schedules, etc. Because of the camp Debra did not have any rehab clients at the time. I did get to do observations with her co-worker Jennifer. Jennifer has 3 students currently. 1- Michael- lost his vision due to an accident; 2- Manny- has ALS and is in a wheelchair and 3-James lost his vision due to glaucoma.

Week 2 began Camp SAVI- this was very interesting working with thee older population. Vision loss was due to glaucoma, ARMD, and diabetes. Most came with a support person- family member or friend but a couple did not have a support person that was able to come. Also attending were vocational rehab representatives from OASIS- a state group to support older clients. We picked up the seniors and their support people plus the rehab representatives very early each morning from their hotel and took them to thee EH Gentry facilty. They broke up into groups- the seniors with the VI and the support people. This way they could attend classes specific to their group. The seniors with VI had many assessments included during the week- hearing evals, vision evals, and o&m evals. I participated in writing recommendations for the clients attending the camp.  A few clients already had support canes while others were recommended new long canes or ID canes. I was able to give simple cane skills instructions to the clients that received new canes. I also taught sighted guide techniques.  We took the clients every night to community based outings including dinner and to a audio described movie. It was a pleasure to work this population of clients with visual impairments.

Week 3 began rapping up the Camp- finishing reports and meeting with the directors to review the week. Many suggestions were made to change or improve the next years camp. Two new clients came in this week that I evaluated for O&M services. I also began working with one of them named Arlene. She is a very pleasant lady and we began by introducing her to thee campus. Next week we will begin proper cane skills and possibly off-campus orientation.


It has been a very productive beginning and I look forward to learning and teaching at Gentry!

4/4/13

Today was my last visit to the middle school. We reviewed routes the students use within the school such as going to their classes, the gym, the front office or the clinic. I am sad this is my last visit but had a wonderful experience!

3/30/13

Due to the illness of the student normally seen on this day I decided to make a game for the student. The student really loves the Jeopardy Game so that was the basis of the game. I used numbered sections-100 through 500 and categories such as orientation skills, cane skills, transportation, and the address system. I brailled the information on cards to be used with the felt portion of the Wheatley map maker.

Today we went on a community field trip to a descriptive movie with the entire middle school vision group. Only to find out that the ear phones were not working so the adults had to be the descriptive narrators! what fun-poor kiddos! On the way to the movies and back to school we discussed the travel-for example the expressway and other roads-what they were...streets, highways or toll roads and which cardinal direction they were going. Fun and informative trip for all of us.

3/21/13

Today was observation at the middle school. We used the Wheatley tactile map to discuss the area near one of the student's new home. We discussed reference point, major intersections, nearby major roads, cardinal points on the map, what the lights mean on the traffic signal, and nearby stores and restaurants as he put markers on the map. then reviewed the map once it was complete. Also discussed what the students did on the weekend- one student asked what a garage sale was because it family had had one the week before.

3/20/13

Today we attended a field trip to a local recreation center with the county's other vision students. We played relay races, played beep kick ball, and had a beep egg hunt all while practicing our O&M skills! Eggciting day!

3/7/13

Todays observation was at the middle school. One of he students had trouble earlier in the day on his route. We reviewed the location he should square off at in the courtyard in order to complete his destination to his class. Afterwards we played a game with the other vision students called "knowing your surroundings". We used the "that was easy" buttons from office depot for the students to ring if they knew the answers to questions about their surroundings.

3/6/13

Today I visited the high school with the student who is a senior. We discussed the remainder of the year and what mobility skills that still needed to be addressed. We planned out the remainder of her lessons including making community shopping trips for things she needed for graduation and prom. Also we discussed her plans for after leaving school and services she will need.

2/28/13

Today we worked with the middle school students on an outing to the local grocery store- Publix.
The student were making a strawberry dessert later in the week and needed the purchase the items for it. The instructor reviewed the list with the students and the items were divided up so the students knew what they were each going to purchase. The instructor used the Wheatley tactile map to show the students the route we would be taking- discussing the directions, street names and landmarks we would be passing. When we arrived at the store the instructor discussed parking lot safety and the layout of the store. Each student had an item to find for the cooking lesson. We shopped as a group and discussed how the store aisles and items were arranged in the store. once the students found all the items we proceeded to the counter where they individually purchased their items so they could each work on money skills. When leaving parking lot, safety was again discussed and reversal of the route back to school. Finally, the strawberry dessert was fabulous!

2/21/13

Today I worked at the middle school. Again with one student only because the other were testing. The instructor felt this was another great opportunity to work out in the community. The TVI has been discussing personal hygiene with the students so that was the focus of our trip- to purchase some personal hygiene items at a nearby Wal-mart. The O&M instructor used the Wheatley tactile map to discuss our route before leaving the school. Then once inside the Vision program van the instructor sat next to the student with the map to discuss the route, cardinal directions, and landmarks that we passed on the way. In the parking lot, the instructor reminded him of safety concerns in the parking lot and crossing from the parking lot to the store. Once we arrived at the store the instructor verbally gave a layout of the store  and asked leading questions of the student such as "what area of the store do you think the shampoo and body wash would be in?" After the student located the correct department of the store the instructor discuss prices and types of products that he could purchase. Before heading to the checkout he rounded up the total price of his items. The student made his choices and located the checkout aisle independently. He independently paid the cashier for his items and then we exited the store. Again when exited the store the instructor discussed parking lot concerns. Great experience was had by all!

2/14/13

Today I was working at the middle school with the O&M instructor. We could only work with one study today as the other 2 were testing. To also allow the room to be more quiet for the 2 testing we decided to take this student out into the community. Since it was Valentine's Day, the student wanted to purchase some gifts for his family. The student chose the store we were to visit and then verbally gave directions to the Vision program driver as we headed to our destination of a nearby CVS store. This was the closest store with a variety of items. The student independently entered the store from the van. He located the card section after some verbal guidance from the instructor on the layout of the store. The instructor read a variety of Valentine cards to the student and the student chose a musical card for his parents. The student then decided to purchase some Valentine candy for his sister. Again with some verbal descriptions of the store layout, the student independently located the candy aisle. The instructor gave him verbal descriptions of the various candy items and he student decided  purchase a large chocolate Hershey kiss. Once he chose his items the instructor took him to a  nearby counter where he tallied up a general estimate of the cost of the items and then the student counted out his money to have ready to purchase it. Once he had it counted he went to the cashier and paid for his items. Then on the trip back to the school he was able to correctly reverse the route verbally to the driver. Another successful trip!

2/7/13

Today I observed at the middle school. I was supposed to observe 3 students but after some time, it was determined that one student needed to use his O&M time to take a school test. Finally the instructor was able to begin a lesson with 2 students simultaneously. Although the students were at different levels of vision the lesson still seemed to work fine. One student was low vision (student A) and the other had only some light perception left due to Batten's disease (student B). The lesson included a trip to a local convenience store near the school where the boys could purchase a snack with money they had earned in class. The instructor prepped the boys by explaining the lesson and then we began. We left the school with student B walking next to the instructor and student A walking next to myself. Student A had more usable vision so he was able to walk faster and was able to identify landmarks such as the bicycle racks in front of the school the visitor parking lot. Student B  walked at a much slower pace because of his loss of vision and physical capabilities. Student B also had difficulties with memory recall which the instructor showed a great deal of patience and empathy with. She would give him gentle reminders to prompt his memory.  As we left the school the instructor asked questions such as " what is the address of the school", "what is the nearest intersection to the school",  when leaving the school what direction are we facing" and "what corner is the convenience store located on". Student B took the lead heading toward the convenience store. Once leaving the school the students turned left heading south toward US Hwy 92. We headed south to the main intersection. student B located the light signal and pushed the button for the change. The instructor reminded the boys when it is safe to cross and for them to tell her when they felt it was safe to cross. Student B indicated when he felt comfortable to cross and the instructor agreed. We crossed the street and located the store on the south west corner of the intersection. Inside the store the boys located the snacks they wanted to purchase and independently paid for them. We left the store reversing the same route we used to arrive at the store. Once back at the school the instructor asked if they had any questions or challenges about the lesson. Both boys felt good about the lesson and had no questions.

2/6/13

Today I observed the instructor working with the high school student. The student lived only a few blocks from the school.  The student graduates this May and hopes to gain employment at a nearby Walmart that is only a few blocks south of her home. The objective of todays's lesson was to use determine a route that was best for the student to walk from her home to the Walmart. We began at the student's home. The instructor asked her to identify landmarks and clues on the route as we walked as well as give cardinal directions. After leaving her house the student was able to identify neighbor's home on her street and identify when at the end of her street that it was a T-intersection. We made a right turn heading west and she was able to locate the sidewalk after a brief break. When coming to the next crossing  the sidewalk- it was an entrance into a subdivision, the student had some difficulty identifying the curb. The curb was rounded, slanted incline, and covered in stones with a telephone centered in the middle so  i can see how it would be difficult. The instructor addressed the issues of the corner with the student and we continued the route. The next corner was a lighted 4 way intersection with crosswalk signal. They also had truncated curbs for easier detection. The student had obviously traveled through the intersection before because she was comfortable and seemed to know it well. The instructor commented that they have traveled the route in past lessons. The student pushed the indicator for the light change and the instructor reminded her to wait for when she was comfortable and ready. As we were waiting, a voice comes from a taxi cab in the turn lane caddy corner to us screaming " don't go yet!  I can tell you when it is safe!". It was hilarious! The light changed and the student traveled safely through the intersection. We continued heading south on the sidewalk passing driveways into the ballpark and a church. The final intersection we came to was a very busy, large 4 way intersection. The student pushed the necessary light change signal and crossed when she felt safe and comfortable. Unfortunately, drivers traveling from her right turning north were not patient nor did they wait. The instructor had to stop her once she got the middle of the intersection because of the crazy drivers! Once she made it across safely through the entire intersection she was able to continue to her destination of the Walmart with little assistance. The instructor then reviewed the lesson asking the student what she felt were her biggest challenges. She replied- she felt very uncomfortable at the last crossing and thought it would be better to try an alternate route. We all agreed and came up with alternate routes to try in future lessons. During this lesson the student was able to independently identify landmarks such as the ballpark, dog park, church and elementary school on the route. The only suggestion the instructor made to the student was to remember to take time when traveling and possibly slow down so she can use her auditory clues to assist her.

1/31/13

Today the lesson was at the middle school. The lesson began at the school where we then walked to a nearby residential neighborhood. We did instruction with three different male students each getting a one hour session. The lesson was basically the same for each student- to locate and identify landmarks in the neighborhood such as light poles, street signs, and mailboxes. The lesson also involved observing the street crossing rules such as located the truncated curbs, using proper diagonal cane technique, moving efficiently across the street and locating the correct area and curb across the street.. Each lesson was slightly different according to the level and needs of each student. Two of the students needed more assistance and guidance than the third student. This was a great first residential lesson because the area was not too busy but just busy enough in order to have discussions with the students. On a more personal not- one thing I noticed is that I need to invest in a new pair of tennis shoes or walking shoes! Boy my feet and legs ached later that night!

1/30/13

Today my observation was with a senior student at the high school. I am already familiar with this student because I work with her at the Transition Lighthouse for the Blind program that meets once a week. This was a great opportunity to see if the instructor commented on any of the concerns I had with about this student's skills. Our lesson involved going to a local Wal-Mart near the school which also happened to be very close to the student's home. We drove from the school to the store. The instructor asked the student to give verbal directions from the school to the store. The student continually used terms such as "turn here" or "go this way (while pointing)" so the instructor reminder her to use cardinal directions such as left or right, which she did. The student was very familiar with the route and did a great job of giving verbal directions. Once we got to the store the instructor made sure to give instructions and directions about the parking lot. The instructor had the student orient herself to find the front of the store which the student was able to do by locating a crying baby coming out of the store and locating the heavy traffic to the south of the building. Once inside, again the student was very familiar with the store and was able to locate the departments she needed with little assistance. The student was able to verbally and physically (pointed) state the cardinal directions from the front of the store at the shopping cart entrance.  Once in each department she did need assistance to locate the items she wanted but stated that normally she will ask for assistance from customer service. The student located then located the check out line, put her items on the counter and paid independently. The student was able to put the cart back in the cart return and locate the exit of the store. Again when leaving the instructor asked her point to the location of the vehicle and discussed safe times to cross the busy parking lot. All in all the student really did a fantastic job and has many excellent O&M skills. She is very independent but one suggestion by the instruction was to slow down so she is better able to listen for clues that may help her such as people walking by (she often bumps into people because she is moving too fast). This is the main concern I have for this student  when at the Lighthouse so that helped me to feel better about my future skills as an O&M instructor.

1/29/13

Today there was a miscommunication between myself and the O&M instructor about which day we were meeting. So I decided to use my time wisely and begin making a tactile map of the middle school where I am observing. The instructor and TVI's have been wanting a map for the Vision Resource class that could be hung on the wall and used to instruct the students about the school grounds and buildings. At the last observation I had obtained the details for the map and discussed the specifics with the instructors. I had also already gathered the materials so all worked out ok. I have attached a pic and hopefully you can see it.

1/10/13

This is my blog for my O&M Practicum!


1/10/13

I observed 3 middle school students today , all at the same school. Each was very interesting.

    Observation with student A begin outside the vision room at his middle school. The instructor introduced to me to the student. He was very polite, offering his hand to shake and introducing himself. The instructor reviewed the O&M rules they follow-
1. to follow directions in order to be safe
2. concentrate on the directions and following through with the directions
3. if needed, ask for help

His directions were to find the bus ramp from his classroom. He left the room making the correct turns. The instructor reminded him to walk with confidence, keeping his head and to move with a purpose.

Instead  of locating the bus ramp the student located the car ramp for car riders. The instructor reminded the student of the directions he was given and then the student was able to locate the bus ramp.

Over the Christmas break handrails were installed in the courtyard in the middle of the school. The courtyard has steps going down into the courtyard as well as a ramp on each side. The instructor reviewed the courtyard area to the student then explained where the rails were added. The instructor asked the student to locate a staircase and then explained that he would be taking a new route to the bus ramp that included using the courtyard where the new rails had been installed. The student had no difficulties locating the courtyard and using the ramp and new rails. The student came up the other side of the courtyard and located the cafeteria then located his destination of the bus ramp.

The instructor reviewed the cardinal directions at the bus stop. The student was able to use his arms/hands to point to each cardinal direction. The student then located the classroom as the end point of his destination.


    Observation with student B was slightly different. This was given a talking compass. The instructor discussed the controls and how to use the compass. The instructor also asked the student in what type of job would someone use a compass, and why they might need to use a compass as well as what type of compasses are there. The student was able to name 3 different jobs in which someone would use a compass and why. He also was able to answer different types of compasses such as compasses in cars, and on smart phones.

The instructor reviewed the courtyard and new rails. Then the instructor also asked student B to locate the bus ramp.

The instructor allowed this student time to answer and time to locate destinations due to his condition.

   Observation to student C was similar to the previous student. He was given a compass but because he still has some usable vision it was not a talking compass. He was asked the same questions regarding what jobs might people use a compass. He was also instructed to locate the bus ramp and the instructor also reviewed the courtyard and new rails.

The instructor also reviewed the "Food Challenge" with this student which I think is a great way to incorporate the community, writing and O&M all together. The Food Challenge is when the student picks a food item to try at several different locations/restaurants in the community. The student has to research where each location is and devise a route to get there. For example if the student chooses "burgers" then the student decides he wants to try burgers at  McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's. The student uses to internet to locate the restaurants closest to the school and then devises a route to get there. The instructor takes the student off campus(with permission from parents and school) to each location (on different days). The student must order and pay independently for his meal. After trying burgers at all 3 locations the student then writes a review in essay form and gives his review on the morning school news. I really loved this idea because it incorporates so many important skills for the student not just O&M skills.

That was the conclusion of my day! I had a great learning experience and hope the remainder of my practicum is just as informative!

TLQ