1. Daniel Glinn, COMS SCAER 2013

2. Itinerary Introductions Presentation Demonstration Guided Practice Evaluation

3. History of V-Tech Started in Palo Alto VA Circa late 1970s- early 80s Personal History with V-Tech

4. Good Candidates Low Vision Traveler with stable eye conditions No progressive disorders Examples: Unilateral vision loss/ depth perception issues Students that stare at the ground in front of them Students that use the cane for ID purposes

5. Prerequisites Student must demonstrate Straight line of travel Good spatial orientation Visual Skills Potential to recognize and navigate around ground obstacles Potential to recognize drop-offs Consistent visual functioning in various light situations

6. Cane Mechanics for V-Tech Cane Skills must be taught with the incorporation of Systematic Scanning Skills!!! Cane in the non-dominate hand (when possible) Index finger grip Relax arm next to body Cane tip extended in diagonal position two (2) feet from trunk of the body

7. Variations of Cane Use for V-Tech Feather tip Light touch on ground (Lift and Land) Continuous Slide Keep tip on ground. Sliding forward. (This is good for arthritic hands or children with difficult maintaining correct hand position) Selective Constant Contact Tip touches ground when approaching drop-offs or terrain changes. Continuous Constant Contact Arms still relaxed and to the side. May use wither hand for full coverage.

8. Scanning Patterns for V-Tech When teaching, travelers visual land marking should be taught after visual scanning skills are mastered. Vertical Scanning Head to Chest Detect obstacles supporting objects Indoors looking at cabinets or cupboards Outdoors looking at branches Chest to Ground Low obstacles, terrain changes, drop-offs, intersecting driveways/ hallways etc Horizontal Scanning Eyes move left to right

9. Other Scanning Methods 3 levels of Scanning Horizontal scanning going from left to right progressing from top through the middle to the bottom Fishermans Technique Vertical scanning going from top to bottom progressing from the left to the right

10. 5 point Scanning Method 5 point scanning method used for crossing streets. Clockwise Involve looking left to near side perpendicular traffic As you cross the median, need to look over your shoulder for right shoulder for left turners coming into your lane Look directly to your right for far side perpendicular traffic that is coming thru the intersection Look directly in front to the right for right hand turners coming into your line of travel Finding the Curb

11. 5 point Scanning Method continued Counter Clock Wise Before stepping off the curb, look over left shoulder for right turners that are coming into your line of travel As you begin to cross street, look to your left for near side perpendicular traffic. Look slightly to your left in front for left turners coming into your line of travel As you cross the median, look to your right for far side perpendicular traffic. Find the Curb.

12. Practice Break up into groups of 2 or 3 people 1 person is the teacher, 1 person is the student. Grab a Cane and a set of Vision Simulators.

13. Questions??? Please dont forget to fill out your Evaluation form. Thank you and Enjoy the rest of the Conference!