Mobility Skills

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Updated June 28, 2025
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) instruction is a foundational component of the Expanded Core Curriculum for students who are blind or visually impaired. O&M enables students to travel safely, efficiently, and independently across a variety of environments. While certified O&M specialists provide direct mobility instruction, TVIs play a vital supporting role by reinforcing pre-cane and conceptual skills, fostering body and spatial awareness, and promoting consistent practice throughout the student’s day.

The Role of the Orientation & Mobility Specialist

Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) teach students how to:
  • Navigate a variety of environments (indoor/outdoor, familiar/unfamiliar)
  • Use protective techniques and sighted guide techniques
  • Apply problem-solving strategies in unfamiliar or unpredictable situations
  • Use mobility tools (e.g., long cane, adaptive mobility devices, electronic travel aids)
  • Travel independently using public transportation or rideshare options when age-appropriate
O&M instruction includes practical travel in real-world locations such as:
  • Hallways, stairwells, doorways, and school campuses
  • Community sites like stores, banks, hotels, restaurants, parks, pools, buses, subways, trains, and airports
  • Challenging environments such as snowy sidewalks, uneven terrain, escalators, elevators, and revolving doors

The Role of the TVI in Supporting Mobility Development

TVIs are instrumental in preparing students for O&M by supporting:
  • Body and spatial awareness
  • Basic movement and orientation concepts
  • Environmental literacy and tactual discrimination
  • Visual efficiency and concept reinforcement

​Key Mobility-Related Concepts and Skills

Movement and Directional Concepts
These fundamental concepts are essential for understanding O&M instructions:
  • Action verbs: go, stop, start, turn, push, pull, slide, roll, bend, squeeze
  • Prepositions and positions: in/out, up/down, over/under, front/behind, near/far, left/right
  • Qualities: rough/smooth, fast/slow, wide/narrow, hot/cold
TVIs can incorporate these through movement games, gross motor activities, and tactile exploration.
Trailing
Trailing is an essential O&M skill that allows students to use their hands to follow walls or furniture as a guide when navigating.
  • Proper trailing technique involves using the back of the hand (especially the knuckles of the index and middle fingers) to lightly brush the wall or surface while walking.
  • Encourage exploration of room perimeters using the trailing technique, followed by a grid or crisscross pattern to examine the room’s center.
Tips for Supporting Trailing:
  • Avoid placing fragile materials within trailing height.
  • Create textured, tactual markers (e.g., braille labels, textured tiles, permanent and sturdy artwork) along common travel routes.
  • Add motivating items to familiar paths to encourage active exploration (e.g., tactile surprises, braille messages, bells).
Systematic Search Techniques
Students should learn to locate dropped or misplaced objects using a structured approach:
  1. Stop immediately when something falls—listen for the sound and direction.
  2. Search visually or tactually, beginning in the suspected area.
  3. Use a grid or circular pattern to search methodically, sweeping left to right, and moving forward or backward as needed.
  4. For younger students, play games that involve finding hidden objects to build these skills.
Self-Protective Techniques
These techniques help protect the body while navigating unfamiliar or cluttered areas without a mobility tool:
  • Upper Hand and Forearm Technique
    • Arm extended forward at shoulder height
    • Elbow bent slightly, palm facing out
    • Protects the head and chest from low-hanging obstacles
  • Lower Hand and Forearm Technique
    • Arm extended lower, in front of the body at thigh level
    • Palm faced outward
    • Protects the waist, abdomen, and legs during short-distance travel
These techniques are useful in tight spaces, while bending to pick up items, or during short transitions without a cane.

Pre-Cane and Cane Skills

Pre-Cane Mobility Tools (Alternative Mobility Devices)
Used with younger children to teach spatial awareness, cause and effect, and the concept of object detection:
  • Push toys (e.g., small shopping carts)
  • Toy vacuums or modified walkers
  • Devices with extended frames to mimic a long cane's preview of surroundings
Long Cane Training
Older or school-age students may be trained to use a long cane appropriate to their height and needs. Cane use develops:
  • Detection of drop-offs, obstacles, and landmarks
  • Alignment and orientation strategies
  • Safe, independent travel in familiar and unfamiliar areas
There are various cane types and tips (e.g., marshmallow, pencil, rolling ball) and techniques (e.g., constant contact, two-point touch). The O&M specialist selects the appropriate method based on the student’s needs.
TVIs and staff can support by:
  • Encouraging consistent cane use throughout the day
  • Reinforcing safe storage, handling, and care of the cane
  • Collaborating with the O&M to understand and model correct techniques

​Putting It All Together

Mobility instruction goes far beyond simply “getting around.” It’s about:
  • Building confidence and independence
  • Navigating the world safely and effectively
  • Learning how to travel with purpose and awareness
By reinforcing skills taught by the O&M specialist and creating a consistent environment where these skills are practiced and valued, TVIs, school staff, and families play a key role in helping students become successful, independent travelers.

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