BLENNZ

Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ

What is Developmental Orientation & Mobility (DOM)?

Being A Thinking Mover!

DOM and body awareness

A learner, who has no sight, is confidently climbing high in a tree
Figure 1 – A Learner who is blind climbing a tree

The student with Vision Impairment needs to have awareness of their own body. This will enable them to move to where they want to be with:

  • Precision – being sure of how to move myself,
  • Fluidity – being able to move in a coordinated and planned manner,
  • Ease – not requiring too much energy,
  • Confidence – motivation and mastery,
  • Purpose – knowledge of where and how,
  • Creativity – for negotiating different situations,
  • Lateral thinking – being able to problem solve.
A learner is being spun by her teacher aide as part of her sensory development programme
Figure 2 – Spinning on an office chair

DOM is about

Encouraging the student with a vision impairment to:

  • Want to move,
  • Want to engage,
  • Want to master their own body and world,
  • Want to do it independently!

Successful programmes are ones that encourage the student to want to engage in whatever way possible!

A young learner is walking confidently using her cane to follow the garden edge
Figure 3 – Using a cane to travel

Successful DOM

  • Is when desire to move comes FROM the student,
  • Is NOT overly dependent on other to make it happen.
A learner is travelling confidently around her school using her cane
Figure 4 – Traveling around school using a cane

 The challenge is

  • How do we encourage, in a motivating way, each student to do as much as they can for themselves?
A learner is sitting in wheelchair with her supporter standing behind her touching her right arm
Figure 5 – Wheelchair guiding
Learner sitting at a table with a map
Figure 6 – Using maps

It’s about control

This happens when the child has learned about their own body, how to move it effectively, and knows how to get to where they want to be.

Learner is crawling on an airbed in a classroom to develop motor and vision skills
Figure 7 – Motor programmes
Young learner using her cane to visit in a cafe entrance
Figure 8 – Cane use in the community

So, Developmental Orientation and Mobility is about

Control over:

  • Body, self and movement by developing Body Imagery and efficient purposeful movement,
  • The Social environment: expecting and getting consistent interactions!
  • The physical environment: Learning about things and actively engaging with the world.

We want the student to think

“I have control over myself and my world”

  • Because I have been actively involved with learning about myself and world in a positive way!
  • I can do anything!
  • And…just you try and stop me!”
Young learner is sitting on an airbed
Figure 9 – Feeling confident

Talk to your local Resource Teacher: Vision for more information about Developmental Orientation and Mobility.

Developed by Moving Forward Ltd and BLENNZ, 2014.

This resource is available for download in both Powerpoint and Word versions.