The purpose of this book is to contribute to the understanding of
Developmental O and M, independent movement and travel in blind
children. The goals of this book are: To increase knowledge of a
developmental perspective for the young blind child with positive,
useful information, gained from many years of experience working with
blind children as an O and M professional To increase confidence both in
thinking about the blind child's O and M needs and in interactions with
the blind child To promote in blind children a positive thinking about
their own movement and travel and to view themselves as travelers To
facilitate the setting of age -and stage- appropriate movement and
travel expectations for blind children. To offer an alternative
"developmental approach" to conventional practices which derive from an
"adult-centered model" To be a provocative catalyst for positive change
in the field of O and M Unlike many books and articles on orientation
and mobility (O&M) for blind children, this one is not about the effect
of blindness on movement. Such an inquiry is self defeating from the
start, as it often begins with misconceptions and deficit-thinking about
blindness and the blind child's early motor development. Instead, this
book is about the effect of movement on development and the importance
of movement experiences for the development of independent movement and
travel in blind children. It has a clear premise: blind children must
become "active movers" if they are to become independent " travelers."
