Saint Paul Public Schools
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Orientation and Mobility The goal of Saint Paul Public School’s Non-Categorical Orientation and Mobility training program is to increase the number of students with special needs who are traveling safely and independently in the community. Training consists of a focus on learning effective problem solving techniques, reducing vulnerability and providing students with the skills necessary to travel on their own. 1. When you anticipate that a student needs orientation and mobility services, please make the referral one month before the IEP meeting, if possible. After the permission slips have been signed, we will schedule an informal evaluation with you which consists of a student interview, staff interview and in some cases, a student observation. Our orientation and mobility assistant may accompany us if she will be doing the student’s orientation and mobility training. 2. Please invite a representative from orientation and mobility services to each student’s IEP for whom we have provided an informal O&M evaluation. Attending the meeting affords us the opportunity to ask or answer questions, clarify information, express concerns and build a relationship with parents. The orientation and mobility representative will assist in writing the goal and objectives based on the IEP team’s decisions. 3. If an O&M referral has been made after the IEP has been written, an informal evaluation can still be done with parental permission. An O&M goal will need to be added to the IEP if the IEP team decides services are appropriate. 4. When due process procedures mandate you to begin a formal three year assessment, you will have an evaluation planning meeting. This would also be a good time to invite us to the planning meeting if you anticipate a need in the area of orientation and mobility. At that time, the team is able to decide if an O&M evaluation is indeed necessary. We will then write up what we will do for our evaluation on the assessment form and follow the procedures listed above.
- If you are unsure of your student’s skill level, refer the student. It is better to err on the side of caution. The consequences of a student traveling who is under-prepared could be significant. - An example of an unnecessary referral might be a student who is already familiar with several bus routes and who is currently comfortable traveling in the community. - For students who simply need a city bus route review and not a full mobility training sequence, a simple statement in the adaptations section of the IEP will be sufficient. You would write, “City bus route training is needed whenever John needs to learn a new route necessary for participation in community based learning experiences.” |