[access-uk] Re: Orientation & Mobility and other independent living training for blind people in England (and other countries represented on this list)

  • From: "Jackie Cairns" <jackie.cairnsplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 13:10:51 -0000

Hi Vivien

I can only speak for my own experiences, which have all been so positive and
great fun.

I moved to Northern Ireland in May of this year, and the Rehab Officer who
carries out orientation and mobility in this area is called Mark.  Not only
does he have an amazing and twisted sense of humour that I love, but he has
been fantastic at teaching me my way around the village.  Maghera where I
live is not a large place, and we live on the outskirts of the village
itself.  But Mark initially came twice a week to give me orientation, and he
comes back every time I want to learn a new route.  My partner, Martin, has
also been great at helping me around so that I can go for walks and maintain
my independence.  In the short time I have lived here, I have been to the
shops on my own several times and felt comfortable about doing this with a
long cane.  And people are so friendly in these parts that a lot of them
speak whether I know them or not which is very nice.

Prior to living here, I lived in Northampton for two years, and also had
good orientation and mobility from a Rehab Officer in that area, despite it
being much larger.  All my experiences, I have to say, have been positive.
The Officers I've worked with say it's just my attitude to wanting to get
about, even though I have a chronic back problem and find it so painful now.
But I've had  nothing but praise for everyone who has assisted me, and I've
thoroughly enjoyed the walks and routes I have had to map in my head.  In
fact, Mark came last week to show me the route to the Post Office which has
been relocated in the supermarket.  He was on top form, it was pissing with
rain, but we had such a laugh I thought it was brill!

A Rehab Officer for Guide Dogs has also lent me a Trekker Breeze to try out
for a while, and this too has been absolutely fantastic.  No you can't do
postcode searches or anything too fancy, but it's great to shove it in your
pocket, create a route and start walking.  When you get to your destination,
you terminate the route, but you can back-track on the return journey, and
it points out any landmarks you've made.  My experiences have been so
positive I just can't begin to tell you how great it's been.

Kind Regards,

Jackie Cairns
J&M Work-Ability

jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.work-ability.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Vivien Palcic
Sent: 08 November 2010 12:37
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Orientation & Mobility and other independent living
training for blind people in England (and other countries represented on
this list)

Hi list,

I would be interested to know how good (or otherwise) O&M training and other
independent living skills is in England and/or other countries represented
on this list. I know all too well the typical scenario of being put on a
waiting list and then, when one is finally attended to, one is lucky to get
twice a week mobility training (I'm in Australia). I would be interested to
know what the situation is like for you people - eg how long would one
normally expect to wait for O&M, and how many hours a week would one
receive? And are mobility instructors in your country making use of modern
aids such as GPS for the blind, or is this something which only happens if
and when the client has access to their own device?

Regards
Vivien 

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