How to tell where you are without other people telling you where to go

 Reading for knowledge  Writing coherently  Thinking critically about the written word

 To increase access to information, we have braille, sighted readers, talking books, electronic text, speech synthesizers, print scanners and the Internet  Information is power  Information is independence

 The more you know, the more you can accomplish  The more you know, the more adaptable you are  The way to know more is to access information (e.g. through reading)  But independence requires more than just acquiring content knowledge

 Part of O&M is teaching “how the world works”  Exposure to objects and systems builds a sense of expectation and consistency  Spatial updating involves knowing where you are in space and being able to keep tabs as that position changes

 Related to concept development  Used to guide instruction of young blind children  If a child knows how things operate, how systems are put together, they are more able to problem solve and figure out “work arounds”  Assumes a child will be more than a route traveler

 Reading for knowledge  Writing coherently  Thinking critically about the written word  Knowledge about the surroundings  Moving one’s self through the environment efficiently  Thinking critically about the relationship between the traveler, the environment, and any mobility tools being used

 If you know where you are and you have a sense of your surroundings, then you can employ basic mechanics to move fluidly through the environment  Knowing where things are in relation to you reduces search time and increases search efficiency (just look at dog guides)

 Reading for knowledge  Writing coherently  Thinking critically about the written word  Knowledge about the surroundings  Moving one’s self through the environment efficiently  Thinking critically about the relationship between the traveler, the environment, and any mobility tools being used

 Higher levels of independent travel require the traveler to adapt more to changing or complex environments  If you get off course, getting back on track requires high level of problem solving (getting “unlost”)

 You don’t miss what you don’t know you’re missing  Blind travelers are expected to achieve their goals by accessing 1% of the available information ◦ Based on limited information from cane, auditory cues, gradient changes, etc.  Requires prodigious memory for excellence  No longer necessary, given GPS and smartphone technology

 “location information”  “environmental information” ◦ Print on signs, buildings, doors ◦ Posters ◦ Street signs ◦ Campaign buttons ◦ Graffiti ◦ Etc.

 10 years ago, almost no blind child was being taught map skills  Fundamental to their understanding of the world  Extrapolate from table top tasks to larger and larger environments  Keep consistency to global environment

 What a traveler needs to know is different now than when even I did my cane training  More vehicles has meant larger intersections, increased use of actuation, and different intersection geometries  ADA has led to wheel chair ramps, detectable warnings (DW), and accessible pedestrian signals (APS)

 Geometries Halsey & 42 in Portland

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