Case Studies

	Ben Ben attends a special school where he uses a manual wheelchair and switches to help him communicate. He has poor distance vision with restricted visual fields. Teaching staff and parents wanted him to become more aware of his environment and to be more actively involved when moving around school. After an intensive mobility programme lasting several weeks he is now able to turn to look at landmarks and use his hand or head switch to anticipate the next landmark so that he can choose where he wants to go. Ben has a scripted route to show members of staff so that his regular journeys are consistent. Back to previous page
	Darcie Darcie has a physical disability and very low vision. She attends a special school where she uses a wheelchair. When I first met her she was using a manual wheelchair and being pushed for the majority of time which limited her independence. A mobility assessment demonstrated that she was familiar with the school layout so she now uses an electric wheelchair. A mobility training programme was set up to help her develop the necessary skills and this was followed through by her Teaching Assistants on a daily basis. She has made very good progress with controlling and manoeuvring around school and very much enjoys the freedom and independence it gives her. Darcie will be moving into a new special school in September where she will need further training to become familiar with and move around a different environment safely and independently. Back to previous page
	Daley Daley has very low vision but is able to use large print. He was introduced to cane skills in the last two years of primary school although he did not need to use his cane in school because it was quite small and he knew the layout well. However, when he transferred to a very large secondary school he needed to use his cane at all times and to develop his cane skills. He has managed to become familiar with the layout of the school which has involved learning routes around and between several buildings. Daley will continue to have regular mobility training to develop his cane skills and awareness in the environment. Back to previous page
	Elliott Elliott has no sight and is learning Braille at his mainstream independent school. His mobility programme has included learning to use sighted guide techniques and cane skills. At home and in school he is able to move around safely and independently by being taught to use trailing and body protection techniques. He has also been helped to explore and become familiar with the layout of rooms at home and school. He is currently learning how to use a cane and is having mobility sessions in his home area. Elliott knows how to hold and sweep his cane and is now learning how to follow shorelines, locate and identify landmarks and make simple road crossings. Back to previous page
	Mohamed Mohamed has a severe visual impairment resulting in a very small field of central vision. He arrived in the UK when he was 9 years old from Somalia where he had a disrupted childhood and little education. The Mobility Specialist initially worked with Mohamed to develop his understanding of the environment which was quite alien to him. He had no experience of city life and how to move around safely. He had always been with a member of his family until this point. Mobility training helped to give him meaningful experiences of the world around him, as well as the vocabulary to describe it. He has undergone long cane training and is now learning to travel around his school and community areas independently which includes using public transport. Back to previous page
	Guillermo Guillermo has an eye condition which has caused him to have tunnel vision which is a loss of his peripheral field. Initially Guillermo was in a mainstream primary school where Mobility training helped him to access all areas independently. He now attends a special school for children with a visual impairment. He uses a long cane outside of the school campus and after a period of training to focus on road and personal safety skills, he is now learning to travel to his home independently. He has poor night vision and will require further training to help build his confidence when travelling in poor lighting conditions. The Mobility Specialist has maintained a close working relationship with the family and has helped provide ideas for him to use his skills within his daily life. Back to previous page
	Otis - Please click the image on the left to view the video Otis attends a special school for pupils with a visual impairment. He has no vision. Mobility Independence training has taught him basic skills such as trailing, squaring off and body protection techniques. A great deal of time has been spent developing areas such as directional and positional concepts, which help him to explore and access his world more effectively. He is now able to move around much of his school campus safely and independently. The Mobility specialist has worked with classroom staff and the student’s Mum to help transfer these skills into his daily routine. His success is testament to the enthusiastic teamwork and particularly his Mum who is a great supporter of independence. Back to previous page
	Maya Maya came to the UK from Mongolia when she was 5 years old for medical treatment. She is an extremely bright pupil who has made excellent academic progress within her mainstream school. She has been supported to date by the Local Education Authority Service for children and young people with a visual impairment. They employ a Mobility Specialist who works closely with the Peripatetic Teacher for Visual Impairment. Maya has benefited from regular Mobility and Independence training which has helped her to maintain her independence both at home and in school. When she was due to transfer to her local secondary school, she was given the opportunity to visit the school every week in the previous term, to familiarise herself with the layout of the complex set of buildings. This also meant that the Mobility Specialist worked with the school to address the small access issues that arose. This programme was so successful that she is now able to move around independently using her long cane, making it easier for her to make contact with her peers. Back to previous page
	Joseph Joseph has some residual vision which he is beginning to use more effectively. The main challenge of the Mobility Programme was to help him control his movement so that he could use his vision to keep him safe He is now able to walk around his school confidently and at an appropriate speed. He moves around many areas with minimal supervision. He does of course need to be given the opportunity to run off his considerable energy! The simple use of colour contrast in the environment such as yellow lines on the steps or good lighting levels can really help children like this to access their environment. Back to previous page
	Ricardo & Jenny These students were part of a group who were due to leave school, moving on to College. Both students had received considerable Mobility input throughout their school career. However this period of transition is a very important time and was used to consolidate their skills and prepare them for moving on. The transition course concentrated on transferring their skills and knowledge to the situations of going to ‘New Places’ and meeting ‘New People. Sighted Guiding, cane skills, asking for help, safety in the home, personal safety issues were all practised using a combination of role play and real life situations. The students have moved on to College armed with the training and knowledge that will help to keep them safe. Back to previous page

Case Studies

Otis - Please click the image on the left to view the video