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Chapter VIII - E

Agency Services - ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY

  1. Priorities
    Orientation and Mobility (O&M) instructors have large geographic areas of the state to cover and many customers to serve. In order for them to serve the maximum number of customers in the most efficient manner possible, it is necessary that all professional staff members making referrals understand this situation. The regional manager is to make O&M assignments (when there is an O&M instructor vacancy) to the available O&M instructor, taking into account the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) prioritization of categories of customers, and also any programmatic parameters in customer eligibility which are set by federal and other rules.
    Employment-bound customers are given the highest priority (see the O&M Policies and Procedures Manual for specific order of priority to be served).
  2. Eligibility Criteria
    When a VR customer requires orientation and mobility services, eligibility criteria for VR is determined by the referring rehabilitation counselor.
  3. Referral Procedure
    1. Referrals from the VR counselor will go directly to the O&M instructor assigned to that specific geographic area. A copy of the referring memo is to be placed in the customer's file (counselors are encouraged to use e-mail to make the referral). The referral information must include:
      • The customer's name;
      • The customer's social security number and O&M referral number; and
      • Specific reason(s) for the referral.
    2. Referral to an O&M instructor in another regional office - in making an orientation-only referral to an O&M instructor in another office, the referring regional office shall notify the receiving regional manager at least five work days prior to the date on which the orientation is to be provided.
    3. When a VR referral to O&M has secondary disabilities, which may impact on their O&M program, a general medical exam may be obtained (purchased if necessary) if a usable one is not already in the case file.
  4. O&M Narratives/Reports.
    1. Evaluation - an evaluation report will be provided by the O&M instructor.
    2. Training reports - the O&M will place in the case record training summary reports.
    3. Closure - when training is completed, the O&M instructor will submit a narrative summary report.
  5. Service Plan (IPE)
    1. The O&M evaluation/training will be entered by the VR counselor on the IPE, and O&M instructors will maintain a more detailed plan.
    2. As caseload manager, the VR counselor is responsible for case expenditures and, therefore, will be responsible for the purchase of any O&M aids or devices other than canes that might be recommended by the O&M instructor. The counselor will make those entries on the IPE
    3. When a cane is issued to a VR customer, the O&M specialist will specify the type and length of the cane in the next narrative report he/she writes.  The counselor is not required to enter a cane on the IPE/service plan.