O&M Roundtable Conversations

GA AER OM Roundtable #1

On July 27, GA AER hosted our first OM roundtable Zoom Event. Eleven attendees discussed the upcoming school year, which for many will begin with virtual instruction. Topics addressed in the discussion included:

• Various strategies that school systems are implementing to provide key instructional services to our students with vision loss. Many participants were concerned about how best to provide services remotely to children with multiple challenges and families who are already stretched to the breaking point. Some discussion circled on how to provide parents with communication to demonstrate how simple incorporating OM into daily life may be; examples were shared. We will consider adding some parent communication tips into our Virtual OM lesson folder project (see below)

• Strategies for teaching various skills remotely and at home or in the community versus at school. Examples given included shifting the IEP goal of learning the routes between classes to needs in the child’s daily life. Mental mapping their home, yard or local grocery store; using the cane to leave the home and go to the mailbox or to walk in the neighbourhood or at the park; taking the student to the grocery store each week and extending the outing to include a walk down the shopping plaza.

• Concerns about modifying or re-writing IEP goals. In discussions since this evening, the facilitator has learned that some school systems are writing “Distance Learning Plans” which are basically an addendum to the IEP to modify goals as needed for remote/ virtual learning. Some systems are using different language such as “contingency plans” or “suspending goals/ services.” Concern over suspending services was shared by a few and we briefly discussed how to work with the parents and system to create new ways to provide services so that students don’t lose the skills we have worked so hard to develop.

• Providing services in the community with parents, consent forms and protocols needed for risk assessment and mitigation were also covered. Teachers shared ideas that worked for working face-to-face recently and where to find more ideas from OM Facebook groups and listservs nationally. Ideas that worked for virtual instruction in the spring were also shared in an open discussion, which most participants found very helpful.

Finally the group agreed that creating a central location for virtual OM lesson plan storage was a great idea. The facilitator has reached out to founder of the website OM of Georgia, Melissa Allen, who has agreed to create a tab on her website to host the lesson plan folder. Moving forward we invite all who are interested to connect with Ms. Allen (melissanallen@hotmail.com) to ensure you are on the group email list. Once that is done, she will add you on the “share” list, so that you can go in and access the lesson plans and more importantly add your own. Stay-tuned for “how-to” instructions arriving soon.

Thank You to GA AER for hosting this ACVREP approved event. The next OM roundtable event will be early fall and will feature our Conference Topic – A panel Discussion on Technology Use in OM instruction.

If you are not yet an GA AER member consider joining. Subsequent OM Roundtable events will be free to GA AER members. Non-members may attend but will be charged a fee for the CEU’s

Contact: Nancy Parkin-Bashizi for more information on the OM Roundtable and how to become a GA AER member or visit the Membership page.