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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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assistance in analyzing the school campus for realistic travel routes" (p. 547).
However, Fazzi (2014) defined, the O&M specialist as an essential
instructor of O&M techniques, and described the TVI role as "to become
familiar with the concepts and skills of O&M in order to effectively support
O&M specialists in their efforts to teach students to travel as independently as
possible!such as expecting the student to use the long cane during travel on
specified routes" (pp. 248-250).
Federal law has also changed with respect to the provision of O&M
services. In 1975, O&M services, unlike TVI services, were not in the original
education bill P.L. 94-142 Education for All Handicapped Children Act. In
1990, O&M services were included as a related services designation in the
reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
however the law identified only that O&M services were to be taught by
qualified personnel. In 1997, Part C of the IDEA designated the O&M
specialist as the qualified personnel for providing O&M services.
In spite of these changes to federal law and a multi-fold
increase in
university prepared O&M specialists, a majority of states still task TVIs with
the evaluation, provision, and oversight of O&M services. Thus, for decades,
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