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 ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.864 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3243 - Release Date: 11/07/10 19:34:00 ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq