What Jeremy Hill and Joan Broadbeck Keep In Their Car "Boot" As They Travel For Their Lessons

As an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialist, your role involves more than just teaching skills for navigating the environment—especially when you work in rural areas with limited resources and long travel times. Balancing the needs of your students with the constraints of travel can be a delicate art, but with a few strategic approaches, it is possible to create meaningful lessons without compromising on quality or efficiency. Whether you’re teaching a single student with a vision impairment or covering several towns across vast distances, here are some key strategies to help you optimize your time on the road, stay engaged, and make the most of your resources.

The Challenge: Long Commutes and Limited Resources

One of the most significant challenges when working in rural areas is the sheer amount of travel required to reach your students. As Joan, an O&M specialist who covers six towns, points out, it’s not uncommon to drive up to an hour to reach a school. With the lack of street lights and signage, these long commutes can easily eat into the time available for teaching. For Joan, the goal is to minimize this travel time by making lessons efficient and focused, ensuring that her students don’t miss out on valuable time in the classroom.

Additionally, rural areas often lack the sophisticated resources found in urban environments. In many cases, O&M specialists must rely on basic, everyday materials to teach important concepts. This includes using a cookie sheet with magnets or Velcro for mobility exercises or carrying equipment that can double as learning tools in the car.

Making the Most of Travel Time

To maximize lesson time, Joan recommends preparing materials that students can engage with during the commute. This might mean using a cookie sheet and magnets for a quick review or engaging students in a conversation about the concepts they’ll be practicing during the lesson. These moments in the car are valuable opportunities for debriefing or reinforcing skills before reaching the destination.

Jeremy, another O&M specialist, shares his experience of making use of podcasts and audiobooks during long commutes. When driving long distances, he relies on talking books to keep his mind engaged and entertained. These stories are not only a great way to pass the time but also provide a quiet, reflective space to gather thoughts for the upcoming lesson. However, he also cautions that it’s important to gauge the students’ readiness for the lesson—sometimes, they’re so engaged in the material that the lesson takes less time than expected, leading to surprises in how much progress is made.

Preparing for Unexpected Challenges

Planning for the unexpected is another crucial part of O&M work in rural areas. As Joan mentioned, sometimes lessons go much faster than anticipated, leaving you scrambling to fill the remaining time with meaningful activities. Being prepared with a flexible lesson plan, as well as an understanding of each student’s strengths and areas of focus, can help you adapt quickly. Having extra materials on hand—whether it's a simple cane buddy (a tool to help teach rhythm and mobility) or a monocular for distance learning—allows you to be responsive to each situation.

Another common challenge in rural areas is the unpredictable weather, rough terrain, and occasional issues like car breakdowns. Jeremy shares that he’s always prepared with extra tools, such as a flashlight and water, and makes sure to carry multiple phones from different service providers. This redundancy ensures that even in the most remote locations, he can stay connected in case of emergency.

The Power of Resourcefulness

Sometimes, it’s not about the fancy equipment you bring with you, but how you use what’s available in your environment. Jeremy emphasizes that teaching mobility skills is less about having the latest gadgets and more about imparting the core concepts of navigation. He highlights how in rural areas, natural elements like sticks, leaves, and other found objects can become vital teaching tools, helping students connect with the world around them in meaningful ways.

Joan agrees, sharing that she also finds creative ways to engage her students with minimal resources. For instance, during the ride, they may use a simple object like a magnet or Velcro to practice basic skills, helping them develop autonomy. In fact, the goal of these exercises is to teach students how to problem-solve and think on their feet—skills that will serve them far beyond the lesson.

Creating Balance in Your Work

One of the most important lessons learned over the years is the importance of balance—between the demands of the job and self-care. Long hours on the road, staying in motels, and dealing with unpredictable schedules can easily lead to burnout. Jeremy and Joan both emphasize the need for breaks and maintaining an uplifting environment in the car, whether it's through a good podcast, a mystery audiobook, or just conversation with your students.

Kassy, an O&M training facilitator, also points out that finding innovative strategies to balance work and life is key to maintaining a healthy career. Learning from others, whether through webinars, symposiums, or simple conversations with colleagues, helps O&M specialists see the bigger picture and avoid feeling isolated. Jeremy mentions that every year, the symposium brings new ideas and speakers, which helps bring a fresh perspective to the work.

Embrace the Journey

As O&M specialists, we often face challenges that require us to think outside the box. But as Jeremy points out, we are all in this together, learning from each other’s experiences and finding ways to make our work more sustainable. Whether it’s adapting lessons for the unique needs of your students, finding new ways to teach mobility concepts with simple tools, or preparing for unexpected challenges on the road, resourcefulness is key. The real reward comes when you see your students thrive and become more autonomous in their navigation skills, knowing that you played a part in their journey.

If you’re an O&M specialist working in a rural area, remember to embrace the adventure that comes with the job—every commute, every lesson, and every new strategy learned will help you grow, both as an educator and as a person. Keep sharing your ideas with your community, and together, we can continue to innovate and make a real difference in the lives of our students.

For more tips, strategies, and resources, be sure to check out upcoming webinars and join a community of passionate O&M specialists dedicated to learning and improving their practices.

LINKS:

IOMOS Priority List
Clarity Workshop
TVI Symposium