- Laura Bozeman, COMS, Stephen F. Austin State University undergraduate O&M program, 1973
- Michael Byington, COMS, O&M student 1972; O&M instructor starting 1978; Texas Tech University O&M program 2011
- Linda Kipps, O&M student 1966-1972
- Dona Sauerburger, COMS, Western Michigan University O&M program 1969
- Eileen Siffermann, COMS, California State University, L.A. O&M program 1971
- Marjie Wood, COMS, Florida State University undergraduate O&M program, 1973
- Pamela Cory, M.A., Western Michigan University Rehabilitation Teaching program, 1975
- Ann Byington, O&M student 1960-67
Laura Bozeman |
Michael Byington |
Dona Sauerburger |
Linda Kipps |
Marjie Wood |
Eileen Siffermann |
Pamela Cory |
Ann Byington |
Recorded January 23, 2026 |
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The Profession Grows:
Orientation and Mobility in the 1960's and 1970's |
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Panelists:
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The orientation and mobility (O&M) profession was developed in the 1940's after World War II to enable young men who were suddenly and totally blinded in battle to be able to travel independently. The first university programs were developed early in the 1960s to prepare O&M professionals, using the same model that was developed for the young, adventitiously and totally blind adults. The next 20 years were a time of explosive growth for the O&M profession as it adapted the model to provide O&M to children, people with low vision, and people with additional disabilities. What was it like for the instructors and students who lived through these times? Linda Kipps, who was born blind and received her O&M training as a child from 1966 to 1972, suggested that we record the stories from different perspectives. Please join us and peek into the world of O&M at this time of transition where the idea of using canes was still taking hold even at rehab centers and schools for blind children, and learn what it was like as a child who is totally blind or has low vision to get O&M training back then, or what it was like as one of the instructors who graduated from universities where they had to write their own textbook and found themselves isolated and facing situations they had not been prepared for, experiencing a mixture of trepidation as to whether they dared to change what had been passed on to them from the O&M pioneers; an exhilarating sense of accomplishment when barriers were broken and people were served, and regret that they hadn't done it sooner. We are grateful to Eileen Siffermann, who has written extensively about the history of O&M, for facilitating the session and providing historical context to our experiences. If you have information or comments to add to the stories, contact Dona Sauerburger and we'll add them! |
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