Resources

Orientation & Mobility

General Orientation & Mobility

• Street Story
  “Street Story” website for input and information about California intersection safety. Collaboration between Cal State Berkeley and Caltrans.
• Visual Impairement Guidelines
  Guidelines for programs serving students with visual impairements – 2014 revised edition
• Basic Spanish for Orientation and Mobility, Brenda Naimy
  A phrase book and dictionary for communicating O&M instruction to students who primarily speak Spanish. (Available on Amazon.com)
• Cane and Compass
  An O&M blog that is a great resource for creative lesson plans.
• Hall of Fame
  Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field.
• KassyMaloney.com
  O&M Blog, online training and home for the International Orientation and Mobility Symposium.
• Sauerburger.org
  Information on a variety of O&M topics.
• TAPS
  Orientation & Mobility Curriculum for Students with Visual Impairment.
• The AER Guide on Professional Licensure for VRT and O&M Service Providers in the United States
  Prepared and respectfully submitted by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Legislative Task force 2013-2015.
• World Access for the Blind
  Organization whose present goals focus primarily on movement and navigation issues and who operates with a “no limits” philosophy. Information regarding echolocation and Team Bat. Several online articles regarding echolocation, movement, and navigation including a quick start, practical training guide to help teach echolocation.

Education

• Blind Children’s Center
  Los Angeles area agency which serves children with visual impairments from birth to school-age through center and home-based services.
• Blind Children’s Learning Center
  Santa Ana, CA agency providing direct services to blind and visually impaired children, birth through the 12th grade.
• BRL: Braille Through Remote Learning
  Offers classes in braille, from basic to advanced, through the internet.
• California Department of Education
  This is similar to the United States Department of Education but its scope is limited to the state of California.
• California School for the Blind
  Provides comprehensive educational services to students of California who are visually impaired, deaf/blind, and visually impaired/multi-handicapped from infancy through age 21.  
• Guide Dogs of America
  A guide dog school based in California
• Guide Dogs for the Blind
  A guide dog school based in California and Oregon
• Guiding Eyes for the Blind
  A guide dog school based in New York
• Wayfinder Family Services
  Offers programs for infants, children, adolescents, and adults through in-home, residential, and non-residential programs.
• Hadley School for the Blind
  Offers courses to individuals with visual impairments and blindness, their families, and professionals who serve those individuals. The courses include subjects such as braille, math with an abacus, and skills for independent living. The course materials are provided in large print, audio, and in braille.
• Perkins School for the Blind
  School for the Blind in Massachusetts serving students through on-campus and outreach programs.  Home of Howe Press and the Perkins Brailler and the Perkins Panda Early Literacy Program.
• The Seeing Eye
  A guide dog school based in New Jersey
• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
  A web site with a collection of resources for students, parents, and professionals working with individuals with blindness, visual impairments, and multiple disabilities.
• United States Department of Education
  This site has many useful links and is an excellent source of information for resources and groups across the nation.
• Wonderbaby.org
  Resources for parents of young children with visual impairments as well as children with multiple disabilities.

Rehabilitation

• California Department of Rehabilitation-  Blind Field Services Division
  The California Department of Rehabilitation works in partnership with consumers and other stakeholders to provide services and advocacy resulting in employment, independent living and equality for individuals with disabilities.
• California Regional Centers
  Regional centers are nonprofit private corporations that contract with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to provide or coordinate services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities – across the lifespan. They have offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find and access the many services available to individuals and their families. Click here for information about contracting with Regional Centers
• Blind & Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County Inc.
  Outreach services for adult residents with all levels of vision loss who live in Monterey County including the Salinas Valley, South County, and the Monterey Peninsula
• Blinded Veterans Association
• Braille Institute of America
• Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
  The only agency serving the blind between Fresno and Sacramento that provides specialized services to people who are blind or have severe visual impairments.  Services include O&M, Daily Living Skills, Assistive Technology, and Braille.
• Davidson Program for Independence
  A residential program at Wayfinder Family Services for adults with visual impairments and blindness to learn skills necessary for living independently. Courses offered include Braille, Computers, Counseling, English as a Second Language, Diabetic Training, Independent Living Skills, Recreation, and Orientation and Mobility.
• Orientation Center for the Blind, Albany, CA
  Residential facility for Department of Rehabilitation Clients of the state of California
• The Hatlin Center (formerly Peninsula Center f/t Blind)
  San Pablo, CA resource providing instruction on independent living skills for persons with visual impairments.
• San Diego Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
  Provides educational and technological opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals. Houses the Lions Assistive Technology Center which provides low vision assessments, and sells low-tech and high-tech items.
• LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired (San Francisco) 
  Provides educational, recreational, and technological opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals
• United States Veterans Affairs

Organizations

• Orientation & Mobility Specialist Association
• American Council of the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind
• Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
• California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• The Foundation Fighting Blindness
• National Federation of the Blind
• United States Association of Blind Athletes

Medical

• All About Vision – AMD info. page
  Many useful links and information about diabetes and living with diabetes
• Kohn Vision Science Library, SUNY College of Optometry
• Macular Degeneration Foundation
• National Eye Institute
• National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH)
  Nonprofit organization to provide information and support to people with albinism, their families and the professionals who work with them.
• University of California Berkeley, Optometry Library
  An excellent resource for information and links.

Government

• Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (U.S. Department of Education)
• United States House of Representatives
• United States Senate

Legislative

• California Assembly and Senate Bills
  Daily Updates for Assembly and Senate Bills.
• Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
• National Council on Disability
• United States Department of Justice
• United States Legal Code

Miscellaneous

• Accessible Design for the Blind
  Information about accessible pedestrian signals and detectable warning surfaces.
• Ambutech
  A vendor of mobility and support canes.
• Revolution Enterprises, Inc. “Advantage Canes”
  A vendor of graphite mobility canes for individuals with low vision and blindness.
• American Printing House for the Blind
  A source of information and materials for individuals with visual impairments and blindness, also provides the Louis Database of Accessible Materials and Fred’s Head. (a searchable database of useful information covering a broad range of subject areas)
• Enhanced Vision
  A leading manufacturer of electronic magnification tools for people with low vision and Macular Degeneration.
• Eschenbach Optik of America, Inc.
  High quality low vision products.
• Home Design for Fall Prevention for Seniors
• LS & S Group, Inc.
  Products for individuals with visual and hearing disabilities.
• NoIR Medical Technologies
  A vendor of special sunglasses for individuals with low vision.
• Maxi Aids
  A catalog of many products for individuals with various disabilities.
• Home Adaptations for Visually Impaired
  Guide to home adaptations for blind and visually impaired.
• Social Security Disability Resource Center
  Information on how to apply for SSD and SSI benefits.
• Polara Engineering
  Manufacturer of accessible pedestrian signals.