Orientation & Independent Mobility

The most important precondition for any person's independent living is mobility. Visually impaired people must first learn to “listen to their surroundings”, then to “awaken” their remaining senses, and then to use the white cane properly.

Orientation and mobility refers to the set of skills that enable a visually impaired person to move safely and independently. Orientation is the ability to determine the position of the body in space — where you are and where you want to go. Mobility refers to the ability to travel safely and efficiently from one place to another.

The programme is delivered individually, both in and outside the school. The training lasts 150 hours but can last longer depending on the user's age and abilities. The training is divided into 5 stages:

1. learning to move without any aid and moving with the help of a guide;
2. establishing the white-cane technique;
3. moving with the help of the learned white-cane techniques in the school yard, making maximum use of the compensatory senses and of the sounds of the surroundings;
4. moving in the immediate vicinity of the school while mastering the rules of moving in traffic;
5. city orientation.