The first group of orientation and mobility specialists to work in the nations public schools (in the USA) is nearing retirement; someone ought to preserve their knowledge; and:
The first group of orientation and mobility specialists to work in the nations public schools (in the USA) is nearing retirement; someone ought to preserve their knowledge; and:
Every time I talked to one of these veterans, I came away humbled. You can get a false impression that you know your profession well as long as you stay isolated. Listserves and e-mail are lessening the isolation, but we have a long way to go.
So . . . I set out to interview all the mobility specialists in the world who work with kids, starting with the teachers in Michigan. I did this in my spare time (ha). Anyway, I did get to a few (eight). Here are the names of the specialists I interviewed at the beginning of this project. Their ideas are spread throughout the book.
Susan Langendonk
Employer: Lansing, Michigan: city public school system
Background: VI teacher/O&M Specialist
Population served: Urban, city schools
Wayne Jansen
Employer: Michigan School for the Blind
Background: Aviation Engineer, Industrial Arts, O&M
Population served: Center based
Karen Firos
Employer: Michigan School for the Blind
Background: Teacher of preschool blind, O&M
Population served: Center based
Dorothy Goldie
Employer: Oakland Intermediate School District
Background: VI teacher consultant/O&M
Population served: Urban, city schools
Dick Drouillard
Employer: Oakland Intermediate School District
Background: Elementary School Teacher/O&M
Population served: Urban, city schools
Sharon Kirschner
Employer: Oakland Intermediate School District
Background: Teacher of preschool blind/Teacher consultant/O&M
Population served: Urban, City Schools
Name: Frank Carwana
Employer: Oakland Intermediate School District
Background: Teacher consultant/O&M
Population served: Urban, City Schools, no subway
Name: Mark Mayo
Employer: Polk County Public Schools, Lakeland, Florida
Background: VI Teacher/O&M
Population served: Urban, City Schools
On the other hand, let me be honest about one of my weaknesses. I take on huge projects (like this one), yet I'm so busy I can't remember to feed the family dog. So I'm not sure how I'll have time to do too much editing and communicating, especially if more than three or four people in the world decide to help work on this project. If enough people are interested, we can form project teams and develop and/or maintain specific areas of the book.
I do not know how this e-book translates into speech for blind and visually impaired individuals. It is very important to me that all those who wish to contribute to this text are able to do so. I appreciate feedback and suggestions about how to make this book easily accessible.
Heres' a list of people who would be particularly helpful:
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