VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 3
● Local Police Department: discussion for teens regarding disability awareness
and disclosure
● Local Fire Department: hands-on tour for elementary age students (including
sitting and being pushed on a stretcher, experiencing the sound and feel of
fireman in turnout gear)
● Local Non-profit organizations: adaptive sports, martial arts (balance, self-
defense)
● Lions Club Industries: job exploration
● State Center/Commission for the Blind: connecting students with
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, practice Independent Living Skills
● Local University/College: Disability Support Services, TRIO Programs
● Local outdoor retailer: borrow outdoor gear (e.g. snowshoes and trekking
poles)
Both Ashli and I transitioned to Orientation and Mobility after having taught
in either classroom and/or itinerant settings for many years and were both
recipients of federal grant funding addressing the critical shortage of O&M
specialists through Portland State University's O&M certificate program. The lure
of having 'the world' be our classroom and experiencing the growth of student
confidence and skill sets related to travel skills here in Alaska has been
intoxicating and incredibly rewarding. We are passionate about developing
competent travelers across all environments, beginning in preschool and extending
up to young adulthood. Anchorage offers a wide variety of travel scenarios,
ranging from rural, spartan trails to urban complex intersection crossings. If you
