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The Orientation and Mobility Specialist Association (OMSA) is proud to support the following in person interactive workshop with CEUs at Penn-Del AER in Harrisburg, PA. The Barlow Initiative Traffic Engineering and Orientation and Mobility: Cultivating Collaboration Friday, April 26, 2024 8:15 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern Cost: $55.00 Register here by April 15, 2024 deadline Presenters: Jennifer Graham, Bonnie Dodson-Burk, Lukas Franck, and Dona Sauerburger Transportation Professionals and O&M Specialists will visit intersections in small groups to discuss strategies used by pedestrians with visual disabilities. Participants will have an opportunity to cross streets while blindfolded or using a low-vision simulator. During a follow up discussion, participants will identify modifications that could make wayfinding easier and/or crossing safer at a few of the targeted intersections. Transportation professionals will share experiences and possible hurdles of meeting access needs of pedestrians with visual disabilities, including time frame and funding options. Participants will Learn: O&M Specialists will learn about traffic signalization and actuation, tips for working with transportation professionals, and the complexity involved in changes to make public rights-of-way more accessible. Transportation professionals will learn about urban travel for pedestrians with visual disabilities, including street crossing strategies. Participants will identify access issues and modifications at signalized intersections. Participants will learn about new wayfinding solutions, including beaconing APS and new uses for raised bar tactile direction indicators and implications of PROWAG for pedestrians with vision disabilities. Intended Audience: Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Specialists including COMS, NOMC, and GDMI Transportation Professionals (Traffic Engineers, Signal Techs, Planners & more) 7.25 CEUs will be provided for attendees. The CEUs are awarded by ACVREP and approved by ACVREP and NBPCB Not yet a member of OMSA and interested in joining? Join OMSA here.

The New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB) is hiring an O&M Specialist in the Valhalla, NY office. Please see the link below for additional information. Mobility Instructor: StateJobsNY - Public Information: Review Vacancy Applicaitons are due 2/13/24 and the salary range is $63106 to $80248 annually. You do not need to be certified by ACVREP for this position. Thank you, Madison Nizolek, COMS, CVRT

Dear O&M Specialists, TVIs/COMS, and Colleagues, If you are attending the upcoming Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference in Orlando, Florida, please consider participating in one of APH's O&M Needs Focus Group Sessions. The sessions will be held in the Boston Room of the Conference Center on Thursday, 01/25/24. We want to hear directly from you about the specific O&M needs for products and services that can make a significant impact on the community. Your feedback will directly influence the development of tools and technology in this crucial area. To express our gratitude for your participation, attendees will receive a $5 gift card. Spaces for these focus groups are limited, so let us know if you would like to participate by completing the Focus O&M 2024 form to secure your spot on the guest list. This opportunity is for professionals who work with students/clients to teach O&M skills. Vendors and others outside of this scope need not apply to participate. We look forward to talking with you at ATIA. Best regards, Denise Snow, CPACC, CKM, (she/her) UX Research Strategist Educational Product Innovations American Printing House 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206 dsnow@...

Hi everyone! I've lost touch with an O&M in Japan, HiroMe -- does anyone know how to reach her? Thanks! -- Dona ------------------------------- Dona Sauerburger, COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind www.sauerburger.org

Just sharing a learning opportunity... Begin forwarded message: From: "United States Access Board" <access-board@...> Subject: U.S. Access Board Webinar: Designing Accessible Crosswalks (February 1) Date: January 5, 2024 at 10:16:56 AM MST To: chris@... Reply-To: access-board@... January 5, 2024 U.S. Access Board Webinar: Designing Accessible Crosswalks Crosswalks are a very important part of pedestrian circulation paths, enabling pedestrians to safely cross the vehicular way. It is important that crosswalks be accessible to all pedestrians, including those with disabilities. This webinar will review the requirements in the Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) for designing accessible crosswalks. The definition and practical meaning of "crosswalk" will be clarified, as well as requirements for indicating when pedestrian crossing is not intended at an intersection. Presenters will outline requirements for curb ramps, blended transitions, and detectable warnings, which provide physical access to the crosswalk; requirements for grade, cross slope, medians, and pedestrian refuge islands, which provide a pedestrian access route through the crosswalk; and requirements for accessible pedestrian signals, which ensure access to information provided by walk indications and pedestrian activated warning devices to pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision. Requirements for crosswalks at roundabouts and channelized turn lanes will also be covered. For more information or to register, visit Great Lakes ADA Center’s Designing Accessible Crosswalks webinar webpage. All webinars include video remote interpreting (VRI) and real-time captioning. Questions can be submitted in advance of the session or can be posed during the live webinar. Webinar attendees can earn continuing education credits. The webinar series is hosted by the ADA National Network in cooperation with the Board. Archived copies of previous Board webinars are available on the site.Learn More SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Help For more information about the content of this email, contact the Access Board. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook This email was sent to chris@... using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: United States Access Board · 1331 F St NW, Suite 1000 · Washington DC 20004 · 1-202-272-0080

Just a reminder. Submissions are now being accepted for Envision Conference East, April 11 - 13, 2024, at Salus University, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. All in-person presentations for Clinical Education, Hands-On Workshops, Panel/Symposia courses and Research Abstracts are being considered. I hope you will consider making a program submission. The Submission Deadline is January 31, 2024. To find out more, or to submit an abstract, click on the project link below. http://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/ad37d311-fae4-4696-894f-6b97f3352ac3 If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly. Sincerely, Michael Epp Envision University Envision Conference East 2024 website: https://www.envisionuniversityevents.com/EnvisionConferenceEast2024

Hi folks! Just want to extend “howliday” greetings to everyone! After 11:00 a.m. PST I’ll be on “staycation” until January 2nd. I’ll be around via email except on the 25th. I want to extend greetings to the members of this list a safe, festive holiday season with your two- and four-footed family members and a marvelous new year! Take care and stay safe! Jen

Hello everyone! John here: For anyone interested, the radio interview I did on CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine show, which aired last Sunday across Canada, is available online. The occasion for the interview is the release of my latest book, “Touch the Future: A Manifesto in Essays.” Enjoy! You can find my book at any bookstore, but here’s the Amazon link:https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324035366/ref=cm_sw_su_dp Link to the radio interview:https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/protactile-communication-is-reinventing-everything-says-deafblind-poet-1.7060008 Transcript: Protactile communication is 'reinventing everything,' says deafblind poetJohn Lee Clark shares his perspective on the emergence of the touch-based language CBC Radio PIYA CHATTOPADHYAY: John Lee Clark is an award-winning American poet, author and teacher. He's also deafblind – meaning he has a combination of sight and hearing loss. Along his journey, John's become an activist for his community. And an advocate for a relatively modern way of communicating. One that he says is more than a language – but also a movement, a philosophy and a new way of life that's, quote, "re-inventing everything." John channels his passion for what's known as Protactile in his new book, Touch the Future: A Manifesto in Essays. John Lee Clark, good morning. It's so nice to be able to talk with you today... JOHN LEE CLARK: [Tapping sounds] Likewise, likewise Piya, thanks so much for having me. I have to say, I wish that we were seated side by side and in touch with one another. You know, being at a distance – I'm in Oregon and I know you're up in Toronto. So we're spanning quite the distance this morning. But still nevertheless, we're finding a way to connect, right? PC: Through the magic of radio! JLC: Indeed, indeed. PC: So, the voice you are hearing, dear listeners, is the voice of Halene Anderson, John's interpreter. She's sharing John's words and his thoughts and ideas. And the two of them are communicating using Protactile or PT, which is this language developed and used primarily by people who are deafblind. So, John, I can hear some sounds coming through your end, some clicking and clacking. Can you describe how Protactile works and how it's different from, say, American Sign Language or ASL, which many people will be familiar with? JLC: Oh yes, sure. There is quite a distinction. ASL, or any visual-gestural language, all over the world there are distinct sign languages, and all of those sign languages are used by deaf communities and have emerged in and from deaf communities. They're based, obviously, on vision, and the articulatory system is typically with the face. The grammar is communicated on the face, and then signs are articulated with the two hands in what we call airspace. PC: Airspace. That's using the empty space, like typically in front of your face and chest to communicate in ASL, which of course is a visual mode of communication. JLC: Mhmm. So that's one modality for language, a visual modality. In Protactile, we use the tactile and proprioceptive modality. So right now I'm seated with Hal, she and I are seated so that we're facing each other, but we're beside each other, so our thighs are adjacent and I have one of her hands on mine. The other one I'm using to make more language, by which she can feel, because I'm actually articulating with what we call contact space on Hal's body. As I would any interlocutor, I'm using her arm, areas of her chest, the top of her thigh onto the back of her neck and head. And so there are different grammatical aspects of Protactile. We don't communicate at a distance like people would in the visual modality, where they're standing or seated at a distance from one another so that they can see and provide visual backchanneling cues to keep the conversation going. Instead, we in Protactile use tactile backchanneling cues, so all of my emotions in terms of how I am receiving a person's message is also communicated as I'm receiving it. So contact space is immense and powerful, and that's part of the articulatory system of Protactile langua

Dear O&M Specialists, TVIs/COMS, and Colleagues, APH is excited to extend an exclusive invitation to join our Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Needs Focus Groups at the upcoming Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, 01/25/24. We want to hear directly from you about the specific O&M needs for products and services that can make a significant impact on the community. This is an opportunity to shape the future of O&M solutions. Your feedback will directly influence the development of tools and technology in this crucial area. To express our gratitude for your participation, attendees will receive a $5 gift card. Spaces for these focus groups are limited, so let us know if you would like to participate by completing the Focus O&M 2024 form to secure your spot on the guest list. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ensuring that your perspectives play a key role in driving advancements in the field of Orientation and Mobility. Best regards, Denise Snow, CPACC, CKM, (she/her) UX Research Strategist Educational Product Innovations American Printing House 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206 dsnow@...

Hello everyone! John here: I got word that an interview I did will be aired tomorrow morning across Canada. The Sunday Magazine, 9 a.m. in all time zones. Just in case some Canadians would like to tune in! Link to the aired show and transcript later, when I get those. For now just a link to the show itself: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-57-sunday-edition PT cheers! John

Hello everyone! John here: I got this from a fellow Disability Futures Fellow! A wonderful concept, bringing artworks into the homes of folks so they don’t have to go to a museum to enjoy the art or else miss out on those encounters. For those in the Bay Area only, though. If you know of anyone there, please encourage them to try it out! ===== Hi yall! I am super excited to share a new project: Art Museum from Bed. This distributed exhibition, funded by the Wattis and Zellerbach foundations, will bring sculptures into the homes and hands of Bay Area disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill, fat, and neurodivergent folks who spend most of their time at home. Below is the link for folks to sign up to be potential hosts. Please sign up if you are interested! I would also very much appreciate sending this out to your networks and friends. Networking is one of my weakest skills and any boost will be a big help. I want to make sure I get a diverse range of people to participate. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdncBJLNxUV8pr2imGbtgacICJN8PVqOkTm-zmf0C7RqTz4MA/viewform?usp=sf_link Thank you! (I am so excited/nervous. I've never done anything like this before!) M -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Disability Futures" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to disabilityfutures+unsubscribe@.... To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/disabilityfutures/CAJ8fvzUu9zvB00bPrqJzx-SttN6h7F_qAZxWTs2ZbKMhY7pvyQ%40mail.gmail.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Protactile Network" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to protactile+unsubscribe@.... To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/protactile/071301da2fcd%24a9acb480%24fd061d80%24%40johnleeclark.com.

Michael, since they took away accessiblity from the intersections, I would first contact the Traffic Engineer & ADA Coordinator of the City to file a complaint, with in the city’s process and then begin an ADA complaint process with the DOJ. (Mention to the City officials that this is a lawsuit waiting to happen and you are trying to have the City avoid a lawsuit, they will lose.) There was no reason they couldn’t have added accessiblity options to the new signals. This is new construction, there is no reason for removing accessiblity. Did they not know that removing accessiblity is against the ADA? I just don’t think they understood what was done to accessiblity vs what they are trying to do with the roads for traffic vs the needs of all pedestrians. Contact me off list if you want to have the AER O&M Environmental Access Committee’s input. Please keep us updated. Meg Robertson COMS mobilitymeg@...

Omigosh, Robert, you’ve raised SUCH a profound question!!! For the first 30 or 40 years of our profession, we focused only on strategies to deal with the environment as it was. It never occurred to us to ask or even advocate for environments that could make travel easy and safe for blind people – we (O&M’s and blind people) prided ourselves in the ability to figure out how to get around without vision, no matter what was thrown at us. I think the first time we started realizing that we needed to have some input on the development of our world was when traffic signals became too complicated to figure out without access to the pedestrian signal, end it was no longer possible to rely on the strategy of “cross when quiet” at uncontrolled crossings. At about the same time, curb cuts that made crossings possible for people in wheelchairs removed reliable non-visual information about the location of the street, which put blind people at great risk. That is when we started seriously collaborating with traffic engineers and architexts and designers to advocate for consistency and predictability and access to no visual information that we rely on for safe travel. So I guess a quick answer (based on just a few minutes of thought) is that we continue to advocate for environments that are easy to navigate with limited or no vision, while at the same time developing and teaching strategies to deal with the environment as it exists. — Dona ————————— Dona Sauerburger, COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind www.sauerburger.org On Dec 2, 2023, at 11:15 PM, Robert T. Sirvage <robert.sirvage@...> wrote: ? Robert - Thanks for sharing this chi tai walk.. It is cool to see a for a type of navigational procession. Will definitely dig on that. Dona, I am glad that you are throwing caution to your students that not all rail start or end with first/last steps. That is true as I can personally vouch that I have came across to some of that. Now it brings me to ask some very interesting questions about O & M as field. Now, my background involved working with architects and designers. And my study often delves back to studying the way people navigate and occupy space. Now.. For me.. I see these rails that do not extend alongside with the length of stairs fully is an example of bad design. As bad as having a door knob placed 6 feet high on the door. To me, good design means all architectural features are being synthesized in way it work with our bodies and even becomes reliable enough to act as third person. Having a built environment allows our body to become part of the place. Now.. As I am glad that as orientation & mobility instructor, I am glad that you are cautioning about reliability of some architectural features out there. However, as I understand that field of O&M focuses on practice. How to use our body, for most cases, re-learning our body in a way that allows us to meet the needs for safety, independence, and to have the ability to create new meanings within our daily lives. Those questions about practices, and it seem that it often naturally led people from the field to think and talk alot about f consideration about various designs. And even take up the role as an advocate within discussion on what good design means or made substantial contribution to development of standard and codes. So here is what could appear to be a hen-egg question.. Should we advocate design be something that enable or even promote bad practices, such as one with low vision sprinting up and down with their poor vision affix downward to watch pattern of bright color stripes without utilizing senses that they already have such as tactile or being allowed to be conscious of one's own kinesethicity? Or as OM, we should focus on best practice.. The one that allows blinds to maintain personal safety, and independence in a way that they can create meanings in their life? And let these to inform us about what good design mean and advocate for that design? So that in turn, design would promote and advocate best practice? Please see this as a theo

HI there Robert! I love your insights about using your foot to find the end of the stairway. That can indeed be very effective! I had to smile as it reminded me of walking in total darkness in China along one of the narrow ledges that are on each side of a muddy, yucky road. I used the "tai chi walk" I had just learned the day before, keeping my weight on my back leg until I could be sure I hadn't reached the end of the ledge (described at https://sauerburger.org/walk). Meanwhile, I stress to my students that the railing is great for providing support, but they should never use it to determine where the end of the stairway is. There are too many instances where the railing ends one or more steps before the end. I have pictures of some of the examples I've seen at https://sauerburger.org/railing - one is inside one of our congressional buildings in Washington, DC and one is at Gallaudet University, and my friend let me take a picture of her descending a stairway at a restaurant where we were having dinner with my son Stephan. So it's important that we teach our students NOT to use the railing for anything but support. -- Dona Sauerburger On 12/02/2023 7:13 PM EST Robert T. Sirvage <robert.sirvage@...> wrote: Hello all,, This is my first submission to this forum after having been following different threads quietly. One thing that interests me is the process of developing standards and codification. And this thread caught my attention as it started with question about there should be visual marking on each steps or just the first and last one? And I appreciate the way discussions have turned out here.. I have gotten involved in a few projects that would contribute to formulation of standard sand codes. And I do operate from a theoretical framework which insist real-world experience as a starting point. Before I throw some weights on either approach, I want to make a comment on the scope of this discussion. Like the way codes and standards documents are being structured, I think we need to step back to consider the scope of this discussion which seems to be limited to vision alone. Some personal disclosure here.. I am one with a kind of vision condition, at the moment retaining some residual vision.. Am able to discern colours, distance, and understand depth with vision alone. When all of you are discussing. I find myself reflecting on my experience of walking down stairs and up. 1. When I have arrived at the end of the stairway (or landing as they call it). I would touch the rail.. Not necessarily grasping it.. Just touching to retain something that would inform me that there would be more steps ahead (Either way). 2. While I am in touch with rail as a reliable cue that would inform me that there is more step ahead and that I am approaching to the last step as it usually happen when I get sense that I have reached the end of rail. Then.... My kinesthetic memory would kick in. As I understand that the height of each step is pretty much standardized. Ranging between 4 to 7 inches. Even through I can clearly see those visual markers as they sometimes grab my attention but visual cue alone does nothing to inform about the height of each step.. So usually, while being in contact with the rail, either tip of my shoe would lightly feel up the first step (If going up). Conversely, My heel would descend slowly before landing top of second step (If going down0. n way my kinesthetic capability can take note of how deep it.. After that first step.. My body will know how much I need to raise or lower my legs for each steps front of me. So my sharing of the experience of walking down and up stairs is a demonstration of practice. using senses which often escape the discussion scope when talking about visual markers for steps. And it seem that the vision being first identified as being a problem but tries to limit solution in visual cue. Without consideration for senses that are being available and already have been in use. Make sense? That's my general peeves when reading documents that offer guidance on standard and codes. Yes.. clearly