VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
screen reading when using the phone to enhance O&M. Elements of O&M also
apply in teaching AT. For example, the orientation component applies when
teaching AT in familiarizing a student with a new electronic device's buttons and
their functions. Or a student may be learning a screen reader on their phone and the
AT specialist will orient them to a commonly used app placed on the bottom right
corner of the screen.
For professionals who enjoy the specialization of a field like O&M, AT is
also specific in scope. O&M and AT are both touched on in other service delivery
fields related to learners with blindness or low vision, but each have depth to
require their own certifications. They each have their own place in the nine areas of
the expanded core curriculum (ECC) (Sapp & Hatlen, 2010). Furthermore, O&M
and AT are mostly taught one-on-one, because the information is generally highly
individualized.
In O&M and AT, I have found that a majority of students are relatively
motivated to learn. This often makes teaching more effective. Furthermore, parents
and teachers are often eager for their learner to acquire more skills in O&M and
AT. Therefore, most of the time, everyone involved is glad that you are there!
As O&M specialists, we have the option to contract our services for learners
across the lifespan. Some of us make a living by contracting and others contract on
weekends or during the summer. In AT, contracting may also be done for learners
