Orientation & Mobility for Adults & Elders

Find O&M and independent travel advice and resources for adults who are blind or visually impaired, and for the professionals working with them.

Getting Around All Over Town, American Foundation for the Blind
The AFB Senior Site has information on numerous topics, such as Understanding Vision Loss, Changing Your Home, and Daily Living.  This section explains the basics of orientation and mobility, and includes a video.

Changing Your Home, American Foundation for the Blind
This section of the AFB Senior Site offers practical suggestions for modifications in the home, such as lighting, increased contrast, and organization; includes a video.

Typical Accommodations for Workers With Visual Impairment: Transportation Options, eSight Careers Network
This site is designed for employers, but offers good introductory information about how people who are blind and visually impaired travel.

So What About Independent Travel, National Federation of the Blind
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
This article from NFB offers an introduction to cane use, and outlines some of the elements of independent travel, such as sound, landmarks, and public transportation.

Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane: Instructions in Cane Travel for Blind People, National Federation of the Blind
This booklet from NFB is written by a cane traveler and covers aspects of cane travel, such as Getting the Cane Ready, Actually Walking Around, Public Transportation, and Times and Places without the Usual Landmarks.

Knowledge of and Preferences for Long Cane Components:  A Qualitative and Quantitative Study, Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
This article, available through ERIC, "reviews the literature on the various components of long canes and reports on a study of the knowledge and preferences of 100 adults … regarding the various components and types of canes…. [T]he terrain of a route, weather conditions, mobility demand, and purpose of an outing are important factors when choosing a cane."

Blind Pedestrians and the Changing Technology and Geometry of Signalized Intersections:  Safety, Orientation, and Independence, Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
This study, available through ERIC, "documented that blind pedestrians have considerable difficulty locating crosswalks, aligning to cross, determining the onset of the walk interval, maintaining a straight crossing path, and completing crossings before the onset of perpendicular traffic at complex signalized intersections.  Revised techniques and strategies are suggested for alleviating these difficulties."