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VIDBE-Q Volume 63 Issue 4
Message from the Guest Editor
Tessa McCarthy, Ph.D., TVI, COMS
Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
tessam@pitt.edu
Fall is always an exciting time, particularly for those of us who work in education
because fall means it's time to head back to school. As an educator who recently
celebrated my 35
th
first day of school, I always feel a sense of renewal in the fall. A new
school year always means a new beginning—a chance to learn more and do better. In
the spirit of learning more, this issue of the "Q" focuses not only on orientation and
mobility (O&M) but on O&M from perspectives on which we may not necessarily focus.
Two of the articles highlighted in this issue, "PedPal: Connecting Pedestrians with
Disabilities to Adaptive Signal Control for Safe Intersection Crossing" and "pathVU:
Paving the Way for Individuals with Disabilities," are from innovators here in Pittsburgh
who are not COMS but are doing important work to improve conditions for both travelers
who are visually impaired and their instructors. Sometimes I wonder how often
important projects are going on that could directly impact the services we provide, but
