Blind and Low Vision Services

Kansans who are blind or visually impaired have greater access to services to support independent living and employment as a result of major contracts awarded by the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). We are one of four Centers for Independent Living that make up the iKan consortium, which works in 76 counties to provide independent living services for persons who are age 55 and older and who experience blindness or visual impairments.

Orientation and Mobility

A large part of our services for individuals who are blind or visually impaired is orientation and mobility training (o&M), which helps a blind or visually impaired person know where they are in space and where they want to go (orientation). It also helps the person be able to carry out a plan to get there safely and efficiently (mobility). As part of the major grant awarded by SRS, we have an O&M Specialist on staff who will be certified in 2012 and can provide a variety of O&M services.

The O&M program may focus on areas of training such as:

• Sensory Awareness – Gaining information about the world through hearing, smell, and touch.
• Spatial Concepts – Realizing that objects exist even if they are not hear or felt, and understanding the relationships that exist between objects and the environment.
• Searching Skills – Locating items or places efficiently.
• Independent Movement – Crawling, rolling, walking, etc.
• Sighted Guide – Using another person to aid in travel.
• Protective Techniques – Specific skills that provide added protection in unfamiliar areas.
• Cane Skills – Use of carious cane techniques to clear one’s path or to locate objects along the ay.

Additional Services

In addition to our O&M services, we also provide our five core services, specifically focused on blindness and low vision, to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. We also have the equipment and software to transcribe and reproduce documents in Braille, and we have an Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist who is trained in working with individuals to find assistive technologies that will best aid in independent living.