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Text: "BLV users can create maps" with a Chicago map background.

How BLV Users Can Create Digital Accessible Maps

There is quite a buzz about the SAS Graphics Accelerator, a free Chrome Extension that enables blind and low vision users to access digital charts, graphs and...
Cartoon image of hand pulling credit card from POS machine and text, "Making Purchases: O&M/ECC Activity

Making Purchases: O&M/ECC Activity

As an O&M, I have taught all of my academic students how to fold money and how to organize paper money in their wallet. In more recent years, students have...
Screenshot of iPhone's home screen with Accessibility shortcuts menu, "Magnifier, VoiceOver, and Cancel".

iOS Native Magnifier App

For those tech savvy low vision folks who have been handily using their iPhone cameras to capture images of restaurant menus and then using zoom to enlarge it...
Screenshot of 3 dropped pins and labels on Map Explore map and text, "Drop a pin, create a map!"

Map Explore: Creating Customized Maps with Customized Questions

Now you can created customized, accessible maps to support your O&M lessons! Want to create a simple neighborhood map of your student's neighborhood with...
Screenshot of digital Google map with customized pins with text: Map Explore: Part 2

Map Explore: Using Customized Questions

It just keeps getting better and better! As an O&M, I am so excited to be able to create customized questions to go along with my customized map! These...
Screenshot of an accessible digital map and text, "Map Explore: Part 1"

Map Explore: Using Customize Maps

ObjectiveEd has done it again! ObjectiveEd has taken a challenging need and found a digital solution using cutting edge technology! Using Google Maps and...
Image of city skyline and text, "Creating Accessible Metro Maps"

Creating Non-Visual Digital Maps of Metropolitan Areas

Updated August 4th with 40+ Metro Maps in the Paths to Technology Map Library! A huge thank you to the SAS 2021 Summer Interns who have created 40+ metro...
Woman going through airport metal detector with guide dog in sit-stay; text, "Airport O&M Activities"

Learning about Airport/Airport Travel: O&M Activities

With the US opening up after COVID, people are beginning to travel again or to think about traveling. Guide Dogs for the Blind and Seeing Eye have created a...
Moore Square Map with sonified street highlighted and text, "Map Explore: Digital Maps with Sonified Streets!"

Map Explore: Sneak Peak at a New O&M Game

Going somewhere new? What is the first thing you do? Open your favorite map app and learn about the area and preplan your route. But, what do you do if you are...
cartoon image of a finger touching a sonified, highlighted street in the Map Explore app and text, "Map Explore: New O&M Game"

Map Explore: New O&M Game!

We, ObjectiveEd, are excited to announce a brand new game to help students practice their Orientation and Mental Mapping skills! Map Explore is an innovative...
Image of Google map of Illinois School for Visually Impaired and text, "Create A Map: Video Tutorial"

Creating a Non-Visual Digital Map: Video Tutorial

Are you working with a student/client and want to create a customized non-visual digital map? Do you want to add just the information relevant for a specific O...
Text: "Creating Customized Campus Maps" with background of NCSU Main Campus map.

Creating Customized Non-Visual Digital College Campus Maps

Your student is transitioning to college or you have an incoming college student who needs orientation to a large college campus. Time is limited and the...
Photo of four different bags of chips and dips and text, "National Chip and Dip Day!"

National Chip and Dip Day: O&M Activity

National Chip and Dip Day is next Tuesday! (March 23rd) I’m not gonna lie, it’s one of my favorite holidays. And it makes for some fun lessons with students. I...
Photo of Governor Morehead School sign, established in 1869. Text, "Build a mental map of YOUR school for the blind!"

Build a Mental Map of Campus

Your public or private school student has the opportunity to participate in summer school or an event at your school for the blind. (It is anticipated that...
Apple Pay logo with text, "Shopping Made Easy!"

Apple Pay

Apple Pay (and Google Pay for Android users) is a mobile contact payment system and digital wallet service that enables users to pay for products and services...
Screenshot of iPhone phone app displaying a numpad and text, "Numpad Layout"

Learning Numeric Keypad Layout: Activities

What do calculators, extended keyboards, bank machines, adding machines, checkout at registers, door locks, and phone have in common? Numpads! (Also known as...
Satellite view of Pittsboro Historic Courthouse circle with text, "Map Lessons: Getting Started"

Pittsboro Map Lessons: Getting Started

The non-visual digital map software is brand new and O&Ms and students are learning together as we go. Older students who have strong orientation concepts...
Cartoon drawing of buildings along a street with Points A & B and route arrow, with text, "Wayfinding App"

ObjectiveEd: Wayfinding App

Orientation is simply knowing where you are in relationship to things around you. Building strong mental maps is a critical component of orientation skills for...
Cartoon drawing of two homes, street, sidewalk and parked bicycle.

Whittier Falls Housing Development Map and "Circle" Concepts

During the Perkins Non-Visual Digital Map workshop, orientation and mobility specialists learned how to create, use and apply non-visual digital map skills....
Image of 3 story red barn and text, "Farm Maps: High School"

Vermont Farm: Drawing Conclusions from an O&M Map

During the Perkins Non-Visual Digital Map workshop, orientation and mobility specialists learned how to create, use and apply non-visual digital map skills....
Image of Pittsboro's historic courthouse and text, "John's O&M lesson #6: Road Numbering Systems"

John's O&M Lesson 6: Road Numbering Systems

Now that John has knowledge about the nearby small towns and cities, let's take a moment to learn more about the roads that connect these towns and cities and...
Whiteboard drawing of cartoon O&M looking at the ObjectiveEd IEP clock analogy goal on her home computer.

ObjectiveEd: Hybrid O&M

Orientation and Mobility lessons for elementary students is a combination of concepts and safe travel skills. How can students continue to progress with...
Photo of Pittsboro courthouse and text, "John's O&M (and Social Studies!) Lesson #5"

John's O&M Lesson 5: 3 Types of Communities

Lesson 5: PBO's Relationship to Nearby Cities Now that John has basic knowledge about downtown historic Pittsboro and the new area around the Pittsboro...
Screenshot of my maps.google.com with tabs: Owned, Not-owned and text, "Editing Maps"

Editing a Non-Visual Digital Map from the Map Library

You found a map in the new Map Library on Paths to Technology - but what if you want to make some changes to the map? The university maps are detailed; a...
photo of Pittsboro courthouse and text, "John's O&M Lesson #4"

John's O&M Lesson 4: Analyzing Map Data

Lesson 4: Analyze Map Data  The goal of this map is to learn how to analyze map data to draw conclusions. The pattern of POIs indicate that there are two...
Text: "Non-visual digital map library - there's a map for that!" List of various types of maps with outline of North America.

Recorded! Map Library Webinar

Update! The Map Library Webinar was recorded and is now available below! In honor of ADA’s 30th anniversary, Perkins and SAS have collaborated to develop an...
Photo of Pittsboro Historic Courthouse and text, "John's O&M Lesson #2"

John's O&M Lesson 2: Learn about Streets

In Lesson 1, John, a 4th grade student who lives in a small town, was introduced to a simple, non-visual digital map of his town. He learned the basics about...
Image of Pittsboro's Historic courthouse with text, " John's O&M Lesson #1"

John's O&M Lesson 1: Non-Visual Digital Maps for Elementary Student

When creating orientation and mobility lessons, O&Ms should carefully consider the goal(s) of each lesson and the current lesson. As an O&M, my mission...
Photo of Pittsboro's historical courthouse and text, "Why non-visual digital maps for young students?"

Why Non-Visual Digital Maps for Young Students?

Accessible, interactive digital maps? As an O&M with 30+ years experience, I regularly use tactile maps to help my students learn about O&M concepts...
Image of a computer monitor with a college academic building and text, "Campus Map Webinar"

Webinar: Exploring Accessible Campus Maps

Update 6/18/20: The recording of the Exploring Accessible Campus Maps Using SAS Graphics Accelerator webinar is now available! This spring has been challenging...
Photo of 2 students walking on a college campus sidewalk and text, "Transition to College: O&M"

AFTER Remote Instruction for Students Transitioning to College: On Campus

In Phase 2 (re-opening with COVID-19), Elon University has started individual college campus outdoor tours and has plans to allow orientation weeks over the...
Screenshot of Zoom Remote O&M lesson with high school senior & O&M instructor. Text, "Remote O&M Lesson College Transition."

Remote O&M Instruction for Students Transitioning to College: Building a Mental Map

Victor is a high school senior who will be attending Elon University for a week this summer for the Odyssey Scholars program and will start full time in the...
Image of people walking on sidewalks in front of an academic building with text, "Remote O&M Instruction College Transition"

Remote O&M Instruction for Students Transitioning to College: Getting Started

How are YOU handling the high O&M needs for your soon-to-graduate high school student who is transitioning to college? Ideally, this student would have...
Silhouette of a boy pointing with a straight arm and text, "Activities that Build Digital Map Skills"

Activities that Build Digital Map Skills

Are SAS Graphics Accelerator Maps the same as visual maps? Yes and no. The SAS Graphics Accelerator Maps are accessible digital maps which do contain the...
Screenshot of .html map file being uploaded into SAS Graphics Accelerator. Text "Student uploading accessible SASGA maps".

SAS Graphics Accelerator Maps: Student Uploading and Accessing Maps

In his post, How to Create Accessible Digital Maps Using SAS Graphics Accelerator and Google Maps, Ed shared how to create accessible digital maps. In this...
3D printed map of NIU with sidewalks, roads and buildings around Graham Hall and text, "Touch Mapper: 3D Printed Maps"

How to Create 3D Printable Maps Using Touch Mapper

Summary This blog post will explain how to use Touch Mapper to create maps that can be printed on a 3D printer. Touch Mapper is a website that enables you to...
Cartoon image of a girl holding a microphone and text, "It's My Job Podcast #9: Grant Hardy"

It's My Job Podcast #9

In the ninth episode of It's My Job, Christian, a student from Texas, interviews Mr. Grant Hardy, Vancouver Bureau Reporter and Broadcast Presenter for...
Cartoon image of a girl holding a microphone and text, "It's My Job Podcast #8: Chancey Fleet"

It's My Job Podcast #8

In the eighth episode of It's My Job, Christian, a student from Texas, interviews Ms. Chancey Fleet, Assistive Technology Coordinator for the New York Public...
Screenshot of Wayfinder: block with medieval buildings and streets. Text "Wayfinder: O&M App"

Wayfinder: New O&M App!

We’ve just released Wayfinder – the latest in our series of Orientation and Mobility digital curriculum for students with vision impairments. Wayfinder is...
Flier for virtual O&M meeting, "Orientation and Mobility Seminar, going Virtual for peers around the nation to join together"

Middle School Virtual O&M: Thursday Zoom Meetings

Sarah Moreau and John Clare, O&Ms in Alaska, invite middle school O&M students to connect through Zoom, every Thursday during COVAD-19 school closures...

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