1. Assessment in O&M What Has It Been? What Has It Been? What Is It Now? What Is It Now? What Can It Look Like In The Future? Dawn Anderson & Rob Wall Emerson Western Michigan University

2. Why do we do Assessment?  It identifies the need –Establishes Eligibility for O&M Service –It fulfills the Special Ed. Law –Meets requirements for funding –Identifies the learner’s current level of functioning

3. What are we trying to find?  What are their travel needs? –Current and Future  What do they know and what can they do?  How and what are they likely to learn?  Is there a change in knowledge or skills?

4. What Has it Been?  What were you taught about Assessment? –More than 40 years of experience –More than 25 years of experience

5. What Has it Been? What Has it Been? Information Gathering ObservationRecommendations Hill Concept Test Brigance Checklist of O&M Skills

6. What Has it Been?  Checklist of Skills- Location Specific Each school and VA have own documents  O&M Tools  Environmental concepts  Spatial concepts

7. What is it Now?  What were you taught about Assessment? –Graduates from the past 10 years  What have you learned through continuing education?  What tools have you discovered?  What has been the most useful tool?

8. What Tools are Available?  The Oregon Project  The Preschool O&M Screening  TAPS  New Mexico O&M Skills Inventory  Los Angeles O&M Skills Assessment  Michigan O&M Skills Assessment  VA and Agency Assessments

9. Related Tools  Inventory of Purposeful Movement  FVA in O&M  CVI O&M Resolution Chart  Boehm Test of Basic Concepts  Hill Concept Test  Environmental Assessments  TMAD

10. 6 Steps to Assessment  1. Interviews  2. Review Records and Files  3. Observations  4. Natural Routines  5. Specific Skills  6. Assessment Tool (Fazzi & Petersmeyer, Knott)

11. What Can it Look Like in the Future?  Is the current model serving your students/clients effectively?  What do you need to serve your students more effectively?  What do you need to meet the requirements of Special Education and Third Party Insurers?  Is it meeting the needs of the profession?

12. A Vision of Assessment  All kids who are VI have access to O&M assessment and instruction.  Standards of practice where O&M Specialists administering the assessments find similar outcomes across multiple tests and various administrators.

13. A Vision of Assessment  Strengthen the Environmental and safety aspects of the assessment.  Standardized assessment tools that have a research base to show they are reliable and valid.  We create a body of data from assessment that allows for research that demonstrates efficacy of O&M.