Orientation and Mobility Instructors

According to ACVREP, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) "provide sequential instruction to individuals with visual impairment in the use of their remaining senses to determine their position within the environment and in techniques for safe movement from one place to another."

Instructional skills include but are not limited to:

• Concept development (body image, spatial, temporal, positional, directional, and environmental)
• Sensory and motor development
• Use of residual vision and low vision devices
• Human (sighted) guide techniques
• Cane techniques
• Route planning
• Problem-solving skills
• Techniques for crossing streets
• The use of public transportation

Orientation and mobility instructors work in center-based, school, and itinerant situations. They are frequently called upon to assist public transportation authorities in environmental management planning, such as alleviation of dangers caused by complex road patterns (e.g., traffic circles, multiple street intersections) and selective installation of audible pedestrian signals.