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The main objective of Guide Dogs for the Blind's Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Immersion Program is to assist people wanting to work with a guide dog to develop those O&M skills most relevant to guide dog mobility. In this exciting program, GDB partners with the LightHouse and O&M professionals to offer the Immersion Program.

During the six-day course, based in our residential facilities in Downtown San Francisco, clients receive an average of 25 instructional hours in O&M skills with a 1:1 student/O&M instructor ratio. Each O&M specialist has undergone training with Guide Dogs for the Blind to prepare them to instruct students who have a guide dog mobility goal.

Since the skills taught during the course are aimed to assist clients to travel independently with a guide dog, they involve less tactile input than cane travel. The skills covered in the course include:

• Increasing awareness of environmental information
• Developing an understanding of how to use auditory information like traffic sounds to remain oriented and to achieve correct alignment during general travel and street crossings
• Teaching how to use auditory information to analyze different types of intersections and determine the best time to initiate street crossings
• Developing the ability to estimate the distance walked relative to the time taken (time-distance estimation)
• Maximizing the use of residual vision (if applicable) through proper scanning techniques and developing an understanding of how residual vision can impact guide dog travel

Visit the GDB website for more information or please contact Orientation and Mobility Services Manager Marc Gillard at mgillard@guidedogs.com or 800-295-4050, ext. 4061.