What's New?

Here are links to pages I've revised or developed recently -- you can check here to see if there's something you're interested in. Enjoy!

Oops! I've been very busy but haven't kept this page updated -- hopefully some day I'll do that. In the meantime you might enjoy these videos I did last year:
• Eclipse experience in 2017 and 2024
• Second stage of teaching the cane (2024)
• Training and applying eccentric viewing skills in orientation and mobility (2023)
• Why Accessible Pedestrian Signals are essential for Leading Pedestrian Intervals (2023)
  
  Added in January, 2022
  
  Workshop - "Step by Step: Systematic Cane Instruction" by Dona Sauerburger and Rebecca Sheffield
  Highly interactive virtual workshop about helping students learn to use a cane, assess their progress, understand what can be expected of them at that stage, and enhancing their motivation for learning to use it.
  
  
  Added in November, 2021
  
  Adapting to Change
  This keynote for the O&M Association of Australasia shared stories of innovators trying to make a change, asked audience why it's so very hard to have innovations adopted; explained systems for evaluating and disseminating innovations, and how we can move forward.
  
  
  Added in July, 2021
  
  Learning to scan for approaching vehicles efficiently with a visual impairment by Dona Sauerburger and Eugene Bourquin
  Article published in Vision Rehabilitation International explains the issues people with visual impairment have with looking for vehicles, and suggestions for training them to do so effectively.
  
  
  Added in June, 2021
  
  Supporting YOU as an Activist through the works of Jean-Robert Bayard
  My mother, Dr. Jean-Robert Bayard dedicated the last years of her life to writing a book to support activists, and my son Stephan fulfilled his promise to publish and promote it after she died. When he died in January, 2021, I committed myself to giving the book to activists who need it, and doing workshops to engage activists with some of the highlights of the book.
  
  Point-counterpoint: Alternative Mobility Devices (AMDs) for Children
  A glimpse of the past: A discussion on the O&M listservs inspired me to dig up and post a debate that was published in the 1995 WOMA newsletter on the use of Alternative Mobility Devices vs. canes for very young blind children.
  
  
  Added in February, 2021
  
  Celebration of Life -- Stephan Sauerburger, February 10, 1982 - January 15, 2021
  On our son Stephan's 39th birthday, about 100 friends and family gathered from across the country and around the world to celebrate and commemorate his life. They shared stories, laughed and cried, and talked about struggles and accomplishments, bridging the gaps with interpreters in 3 languages and scrambling to accommodate a fourth.
  
  
  Added in May, 2020
  
  Teaching street-crossing concepts and skills remotely
  Shows how I taught some skills needed for uncontrolled crossings while the student and I were in our own homes, with links to a webinar that highlighted this training.
  
  
  Added in January, 2020
  
  Inservice Ideas
  Explains fun inservices with skits and quizzes -- and no blindfolds -- to help people learn about blindness and courtesies when working with blind people.
  
  
  Added in December, 2019
  
  Training to Scan and Glance with Restricted Visual Fields: Want to try it yourself?
  Shows a video of workshop participants having fun while learning how to teach people with restricted visual fields to look for approaching vehicles.
  
  Polarization is destroying democracy, and we can do something about it!
  I've given a lot of thought about where the extreme polarization of today can lead us, and what we can do about it.
  
  
  Added in November, 2019
  
  
  Personal Stories of Deaf-Blind People
  Several remarkable deaf-blind people share their personal stories. Their backgrounds could not be more different -- born half a century apart and growing up on opposite sides of the world -- but they had much in common, such as determination and ingenuity, and families who supported their efforts.
  
  
  Added in May, 2019
  
  CaringBridge -- Journal of Paul's Story
  Journal captures the adventures of our family as we are plunged into the strange and mysterious world of brain injury, with incredible insights and inspiration from our "brain whisperer," Dr. Cyndy Greenacre. I hope that sharing these insights and our experiences may help others going through similar situations.
  
  
  Added in September, 2018
  
  Teaching students to align with traffic sounds
  Explains (with video) a strategy for teaching students to use the sound of traffic in the parallel street to align.
  
  Exercises to develop the kinesthetic sense:
  A video demonstrating exercises is now posted on the webpage "Developing the kinesthetic sense."
  
  
  Added in February, 2018
  
  AMD: From the Archives:
  Posted on the webpage for Alternative Mobility Devices (AMDs): photos of a woman in 1995 using one of the prototype AMDs.
  
  
  Added in December, 2017
  
  Training to Scan and Glance for Vehicles with Low Acuity
  Videos of scanning for approaching vehicles with reduced visual acuity.
  
  
  Added in October, 2017
  
  Teaching students to recognize and deal with Situations of Uncertainty
  Video illustrates a process for teaching students with visual impairment to assess situations at crossings with no traffic control.
  
  The Effect of the Color of a Long Cane Used by Individuals Who Are Visually Impaired on the Yielding Behavior of Drivers
  by Gene Bourquin, Rob Wall Emerson, Dona Sauerburger, and Janet Barlow based on our research to find out if the color of the cane affects how much drivers yield to blind pedestrians - published as a feature article in the September-October Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.
  
  
  Added in August, 2017
  
  Self-Study Guide: Crossing at Modern Traffic Signals
  Extensive on-line course, written with Dr. Eugene Bourquin, COMS and Bonnie Dodson-Burk, COMS, for O&M Specialists and Guide Dog Mobility Instructors for preparing students who are blind or visually impaired for crossings at traffic signals. Includes videos illustrating concepts.
  
  Total Eclipse!
  Pictures and stories with a video of the total eclipse August 21, 2017, including observing what the birds do when the sun is totally occluded.
  
  
  Added in September, 2016
  
  Training eccentric viewing for mobility purposes
  People who have central scotomas (such as with macular degeneration) need to learn to use their preferred retinal locus to find things in the environment such as traffic signals, approaching vehicles, etc. This page has a simple procedure for helping them learn to do that.
  
  
  Added in August, 2016
  
  Using simulation to teach concepts of traffic movement
  Having students and instructors pretend to be vehicles or pedestrians in a simulated intersection can help them learn the patterns of movement at traffic signals.
  
  
  Added in June, 2016
  
  Intuitive understanding of crossing time at signalized intersections
  Having an "intuitive understanding of crossing time" is helpful for learning skills and concepts for signalized crossings as well as uncontrolled ones.
  
  
  Revised May, 2016
  
  Self-Study Guide: Preparing Visually Impaired Students for Uncontrolled Crossings
  This course, which is required by several O&M university programs, provides information needed to teach students to deal with uncontrolled crossings. I just finished extensive revisions which I started last summer as a result of what I learned from developing a product for APH to help O&M instructors teach about these crossings -- the material has been simplified and organized to flow in a more orderly manner, and videos and photos were added.
  
  
  Added in November, 2015
  
  Training to Scan and Glance with Restricted Visual Fields
  Step-by-step instructions for teaching people who have severely restricted visual fields to visually scan effectively, from mundane tasks such as finding their shoes to life-and-death tasks such as crossing streets.
  
  
  Added in January, 2015
  
  Example of Partial Occlusion
  Shows a great example of using partial occlusion to help ensure that students can notice unexpected drop-offs when distracted with vision (scroll up the page to find out more about partial occlusion).
  
  
  Added in November, 2014
  
  The Invisible Helmet: A First-Person Account of Deaf-Blindness; by Jackie Coker
  A remarkable woman shares her unique story of becoming deaf-blind as a child, trying to figure out how to communicate with her parents and the world.
  
  
  Added in October, 2014
  
  Bowie Sounds of Music
  I belong to a group of amateur singers who perform at assisted living and nursing homes, and set up a website for them.
  
  
  Added in September, 2014
  
  How Accurate are Pedestrians at Judging Their Own Street-Crossing Time?
  Abstract of research by Dr. Shirin Hassan about people's judgment of the time it takes for them to cross a street.
  
  
  Added in August, 2014
  
  Things That the Cane May Not Detect
  Importance of centering the hand (for when the cane misses poles and corners)
  Walking in Step - Why Does It Matter?
  
  Videos illustrating features of the cane technique have been added to these pages.
  
  
  Added in July, 2014
  
  Cruising the Mediterranean!
  Highlights of one my best travels ever, including the amazing city of Venice.
  
  Support Cane Used with Long "Probing" Cane
  Shows video of Vicente de Frutos, whom I met while touring a monastery in Spain, demonstrating great technique using two canes (one for support, one to probe).
  
  Conditions that Influence Drivers' Yielding Behavior in Turning Vehicles at Intersections with Traffic Signal Control
  Research to learn how to increase yielding when crossing counter-clockwise at intersections with traffic signals,
  
  
  Added in April, 2014
  
  Flat areas delineated with detectable warnings
  Photos show several streets in Eugene, Oregon where sidewalks are at the same level as the streets (no curbs), with strips of detectable warning to indicate the edge of the streets.
  
  
  Added in February, 2014
  
  Actuation of Traffic Signals
  Videos were uploaded which demonstrate what can happen at actuated traffic signals if you don't push the pedestrian button before crossing.
  
  
  Added in January, 2014
  
  Brick Sidewalks with Detectable Warnings in Historic Annapolis
  These photos were taken in 2011 in response to concerns about how to comply in historic areas with the U.S. laws requiring detectable warnings at curbramps.
  
  "The Power of Technology Leads to Self-Success" Presented by Anindya "Bapin" Bhattacharyya
  This page has the presentation and life story of a remarkable deaf-blind man, Anindya Bhattacharyya ("Bapin").
  
  
  Added in December, 2013
  
  Ideas for Crossing Roundabouts and Separate Right-Turning Lanes
  These ideas were generated by participants during 2012 workshops at SOMA/COMA in Richmond and CAOMS in San Diego.
  
  
  Added in November, 2013
  
  Conditions that influence drivers' yielding behavior while crossing at uncontrolled intersections
  Article reporting research by Gene Bourquin, Rob Wall Emerson and me to find out whether drivers will yield if they see a pedestrian crossing their path with a white cane, or a red flag, or an orange vest.
  
  
  Added in August, 2013
  
  Street-Crossing Workshop for Visually Impaired Children in New Brunswick, Canada
  An innovative workshop that Josee Martin and Denise Guitar organized for their kids in New Brunswick, Canada, to teach them some of the skills and concepts they need for crossings with no traffic control. The group dynamics seemed to motivate the kids and enhance their learning.
  
  Detecting rumble strips, brick and grooves with a cane: Gallaudet University Campus, Washington, DC
  This page shows the results of some experiments to see if the rumble strips or brick on Gallaudet's campus could be used to help blind students cross straight.
  
  
  Added in July, 2013
  
  A Professional Association for O&M -- Where are we, and where do we want to go?
  Plans are under way to establish an O&M professional association!
  
  
  Added in May, 2013
  
  The Effectiveness of Deaf-Blind Pedestrians Warning Signage on Drivers' Behavior
  Research to test the effectiveness of traffic signs saying "Deaf/Blind Pedestrians," by Dona Sauerburger, Eugene Bourquin, and Jomania Sauerburger published in the International Journal of Orientation and Mobility
  
  Video clip about traffic signals
  A short clip from my videotape "Intersection Design and Street-Crossing Strategies for Blind Pedestrians: Then and Now" was posted as part of an NCHRP online workshop, and I posted a link to it.
  
  
  Added in February, 2013
  
  Forum discussion on teaching students about uncontrolled crossings
  Messages about teaching these concepts to children and people with cognitive disabilities, as well as teaching to cross at separate right-turning lanes were discussed on a forum I had set up several years ago.
  
  Letters from a gushing war-time bride
  Poignant letters from my mother about her adventures during World War II marrying my father before he shipped overseas.
  
  
  Added in January, 2013
  
  Addressing concerns about NY Licensure Bill
  Message written March 11, 2012 in response to concerns raised on the O&M listserv about the New York Licensure Bill for O&M and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
  
  
  Added in October, 2012
  
  Jomania Sauerburger becomes an American citizen!
  On October 24, 2012 our Lebanese daughter-in-law became a U.S. citizen!
  
  
  Added in June, 2012
  
  SOMA/COMA Program
  This is one of several pages we added for the fabulous SOMA/COMA conference in September-October 2012 -- come and join us!
  
  
  Added in May, 2012
  
  Mom and Boogieboarding!
  Friends and I honored Mom with boogyboard riding!
  
  
  Added in Spring, 2012
  
  Updates on Jean Robert Bayard (Mom)
  Daily updates on my courageous mom, who had extensive surgery to remove cancer September 17, 2011 and died December 11, 2011.
  
  
  Added in August, 2011
  
  Are "Deaf-Blind Pedestrians" Street Signs Effective?
  Experimenting to find out if drivers are more likely to stop for pedestrians if there are signs posted saying "DEAF-BLIND PEDESTRIANS"
  
  
  Added in June, 2011
  
  Quiet Cars and the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act: Unintended Consequences?
  From the June 2011 newsletter of the AER Orientation and Mobility Division
  
  Licensure for O&M - Will It Happen This Year? Please Help!
  From the June 2011 newsletter of the AER Orientation and Mobility Division
  
  
  Added in May, 2011
  
  Letter of support for NYS licensure bill S. 3880/A. 0617
  I drafted this letter for a grass-roots effort to gain licensure for the professions of orientation and mobility and vision rehabilitation therapy.
  
  Communicating with the Deaf-Blind Student
  Getting Across the Street with Visual and Hearing Impairments
  These outlines/handouts cover the information provided at some of the sessions of the annual O&M seminar at Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults -- they were were updated and expanded at the request of participants.
  
  Make Your Own Vision Impairment Simulators
  Information was added from one reader who found a cheap source of goggles to make vision simulators.
  
  
  Added in November, 2010
  
  O&M Program Supervisors and Planners -- Problems and Solutions
  Ideas and resources for addressing issues with an O&M program administrator
  
  
  Added in October, 2010
  
  
  White Cane Day 2010
  A fun, whimsical video by Trina Boyd-Pratt of her students celebrating White Cane Day
  
  NOMC / COMS O&M -- Is There a Difference?
  This message, written to NBPCB leaders, outlines how the NFB / NOMC approach to teaching O&M seems to differ from that of AER / COMS.
  
  
  Added in September, 2010
  
  
  WORKSHOP: Preparing Visually Impaired Students to Assess and Cross Streets with No Traffic Control
  Flyer explaining scheduled workshops.
  
  Introducing Situations of Uncertainty to Students
  This page, for the O&M specialist who has completed the Self-Study Guide, provides a suggested outline for teaching students to recognize situations of uncertainty.
  
  
  Added in July, 2010
  
  
  Learning to be an O&M specialist in the Class of 1969
  To help celebrate the history of O&M, I recorded short videos explaining what it was like to learn and teach O&M 40 years ago.
  
  Step by Step: Systematic Cane Instruction and Assessment
  This powerpoint outlines the main points of presentations on teaching the cane.
  
  Kansas City "Early-Adopting Innovators" Take the Quiz
  Pictures show an excited group of O&Mers learning about teaching street crossings where there is no traffic control.
  
  Workshops/Seminars for Teaching to Cross With No Stop Sign or Traffic Signal
  Explains the workshops that are (or can be made) available for O&M specialists to teach crossings where there is no traffic control.
  
  
  Added in May, 2010
  
  
  CHECKLISTS
  A series of checklists for preparing visually impaired students to assess and cross streets with no stop sign or traffic signal
  
  Traveling with Baby -- Tips on Strollers for Blind Parents
  Written by Lori Miller, COMS, for the Winter 2006 O&M Division newsletter
  
  
  Added in April, 2010
  
  
  Safely Experiencing Walking Without Vision
  How can people safely experience what it's like to walk without vision if they don't know how to use a cane?
  -- Added to the article "Make Your Own Vision Impairment Simulators"
  
  Changing Best Practice - Centralize O&M Innovation?
  How can we change O&M best practice when safety requires it?
  -- from the Spring 2010 newsletter of the AER O&M Division
  
  Orientation -- What is Our Role?
  Are O&M specialists responsible to find the best routes and transportation options for their students?
  -- from the July, 1990 newsletter of the Metropolitan Washington Orientation and Mobility Association
  
  
  Added in March, 2010
  
  
  YIKES! Is This Strategy Reliable?
  Poster: research of a strategy for crossing streets with no traffic control
  
  
  Added in November, 2009
  
  
  Forum discussion: Preparing Visually Impaired Students to Assess and Cross Streets with No Traffic Control
  
  
  Added in October, 2009
  
  
  Fallacious/Dangerous Strategies for Crossing Streets with no Traffic Signal or Stop Sign
  
  
  Added in September, 2009
  
  
  FAQ: "What kinds of goals and objectives would be appropriate in the student's individualized O&M program for crossings with no traffic control?"
  
  
  Added in August, 2009
  
  
  Self-Study Guide: Preparing Visually Impaired Students to Assess and Cross Streets with No Traffic Control
  A series of pages with information and vignettes and even a workshop to prepare instructors to teach students to cross streets with no traffic control.
  
  
  Added in May, 2009
  
  
  Cane Technique: Tricks of the Trade
  From the WOMA Newsletter archives, March 1992 -- the importance of features of cane technique, and ideas for teaching them.
  
  
  Added in April, 2009:
  
  
  Situations of Uncertainty for Gap Judgment
  Explains the primary issue for crossing streets with no traffic control. See how well you do on the Picture Quiz!
  
  Teaching Concepts, Skills, and Risk Analysis for Uncontrolled Crossings
  At last -- an explanation of the concepts and skills needed for crossing streets with no traffic control, culminating from 20 years of experience as my understanding and approach evolved.
  
  Corner to Corner: Effective Ways to Solicit Aid by Deaf-Blind People
  shows what we learned by talking with dozens of people who walked by or stopped to help deaf-blind people get across the street.
  
  
  Added in March, 2009:
  
  
  Introductions to chapters of "Thomas Lucas and Family: From Home Town to Homestead" -- after serving in the Civil War, the life of Thomas Lucas and his family became like that of the family in "Little House on the Prairie," and these chapter introductions outline their life.
  My favorite introduction is "Enjoying the Golden Years."
  
  Developing the Kinesthetic Sense -- suggestions and exercises for developing the kinesthetic sense.
  
  Hiroshima story -- Mito Kosei and his family -- touching story of the mother of our guide at Hiroshima's Peace Garden, sharing her experience on that fateful day on August 6, 1945. Mr. Mito has also sent stories about the certificates of Hiroshima bomb survivors and repurcusions that continue today.
  
  
  Added in December, 2008:
  
  
  Fred and Dona's Excellent Adventures on a tour of "Christmas in Austria" and Germany, to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Includes a trip to Minature Wünderland, the largest model railroad in the world, and an adventurous walk around Castle Sauerburg in Germany.
  
  
  Added in October, 2008:
  
  
  Revisions and clarifications have been made to the following pages:
  Alternative Mobility Device
  Pedestrian Button / Signal
  
  
  Added in September, 2008:
  
  
  Concerns about Quiet Car Legislation -- a listserv message that outlines concerns about current legislation regarding quiet cars.
  
  An Introduction to Orientation and Mobility is a special edition that I wrote for VisionAware, a newsletter of the Associates for World Action in Rehabilitation and Education, published for people with low vision. Since that time, the American Foundation for the Blind became the publisher of this newsletter and some of the articles I wrote were extensively revised, so AFB and I agreed that they would be listed as author rather than me. Links to the current versions of the articles I originally wrote are listed below:
  • What Is Orientation and Mobility?
  • Learning to Travel Safely and Independently with Vision Loss
  • Learning to Use Non-Visual Information
  • Learning to Travel with Both Hearing and Vision Loss
  • How to Walk with a Guide
  • What will people think about me if I use a white cane?
  • Does the cane have to be white to be effective?
  • What type of cane should I use?
  • How do I learn to use a cane?
  • Guide dogs for people with vision loss
    
    
  Added in July, 2008:
  
  
  Reasonable Accommodations in O&M: A brief conference report by Bill Wiener, Elga Joffee and Steven LaGrow -- historic AER O&M Division conference addressing orientation and mobility specialists who have disabilities. This was put on my website as a link from two articles: "Teaching O&M from a Wheelchair" and "Persons with Disabilities Can Teach O&M: A Convert's Perspective."
  
  Bundu basher -- a cane tip designed for hiking and traveling through natural areas.
  
  Support Cane Used with Long "Probing" Cane -- a support cane and long cane being used together.
  
  What Cues do Blind People Use to Recognize a Street in the Absence of a Curb?
  
  Non-visual strategies for aligning for street crossings
  
  Update on Song Ping Chen, whom we met on a train in China, with an explanation of why some Chinese families are separated.
  
  
  Added in June, 2008:
  
  
  Quiet Cars and the Safety of Blind Persons -- paper presented at "Quiet Cars" meeting of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington, DC June 23, 2008.
  
  Alternative Mobility Device -- Illustrates an alternative to the long cane.
  
  Personal - Award speeches, Civil War/Homestead letters; Family / Trips
  
  Sauerburgers Come Home At Last - Fred and Dona visit family property in the middle of the desert in Deming, Arizona, 2008
  
  Nanta and her daughter Ann come to America - more than 40 years after we met at the school for the blind in Thailand, Nanta comes to visit, 2008.
  

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