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.