Building a Brighter Future Through Interactive Family Workshops

By: Seth Johnson

In 2024, the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF), in partnership with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI), launched a statewide Gaps Analysis to better understand the needs of blind and low vision students and their families.

With support from donors Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Arthur Dean Family Foundation, Quest for Excellence, and Central Indiana Community Foundation, IBCF was able to hire Indiana-based consultants Taylor Advising, who helped the foundation gather insights from over 200 students, families, educators, and experts. In 2025, IBCF and ISBVI leaders also visited schools in Arizona, Florida, and Alabama to explore innovative programs and services.

The final report (linked here), delivered in May, identified critical gaps and opportunities across education, early intervention, assistive technology, independent living, and social supports. IBCF and ISBVI are now actively moving forward with strategies to ensure blind and low vision students across Indiana have the resources and community they need to thrive.

One key issue that emerged: social isolation and loneliness among students and their families. This challenge was echoed by family engagement specialists at other blind schools. In response, ISBVI transitioned current staff member, Cassie Kessler, into a new Parent Engagement & Community Liaison role to plan and carry out monthly virtual and in-person workshops. These sessions are designed not only to empower families with tools to support their children, but also to build a stronger, more connected community.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, a total of 23 family members and professionals from across Indiana took part in an online workshop on Orientation and Mobility (O&M) led by Nick Leon, Assistant Director of the Expanded Core Curriculum at ISBVI. This Family Engagement Workshop was made possible with funding from the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation.

With 15 years of experience supporting individuals who are blind or visually impaired, both as a Certified O&M Specialist and a Blind and Low Vision Teacher, Leon shared a presentation titled “Guiding Independence: Orientation & Mobility Essentials for Families and Educators.”

Before jumping into his educational webinar, Leon made sure to share with participants that the strategies and techniques discussed in the session were for general awareness and family support, and that O&M instruction must always be provided by a certified O&M specialist. From here, he clearly laid out the definition of O&M. “Orientation refers to knowledge of one’s distance and direction relative to things observed or remembered in the surroundings and keeping track of these spatial relationships as they change during locomotion,” he shared. “Mobility is the term used to describe the act of moving through space in a safe and efficient manner. Together, the two terms result in purposeful and directed movement through and within the surrounding environment.”

After giving a basic introduction to O&M, Leon went on to discuss several essential O&M concepts, including Spatial Awareness, Route Planning, Landmarks vs. Clues, Intersections, Human Guide Technique, and Long Cane Technique. Following his portion of the presentation on Landmarks vs. Clues, Leon had the workshop participants take part in an exercise where they voted on whether different items, like the smell of popcorn and a braille classroom sign, were landmarks or clues. Leon made sure to clearly define both Landmarks and Clues in this case, explaining that landmarks are permanent, reliable reference points that are directly perceivable, while clues refer to temporary or changing sensory information. Ultimately, Leon explained that students who are blind or have low vision must use a combination of landmarks and clues to successfully navigate the world.

A graphic shows an illustration of popcorn and a classroom sign with braille that reads, "SCIENCE." The graphic explains that the Smell of Popcorn would serve as a Clue when it comes to Orientation & Mobility, while a Braille Classroom Sign would serve as a Landmark.

To close out his presentation, Leon highlighted several mobile phone apps that come in handy with O&M. When it came to navigation apps, he highlighted Good Maps (for indoor navigation), Indigo Nav (for outdoor navigation), BlindSquare, Apple Maps, and Google Maps. As for environmental awareness apps, Leon suggested Seeing AI and OKO (used for detecting pedestrian signals and announcing walk/stop status for safe street crossing).

In their post-workshop surveys, several workshop participants spoke highly of the O&M workshop and all that they learned from it.

"I plan to practice some of the techniques at the store and in our neighborhood,” said one workshop attendee who is a parent of a student with a visual impairment.

"I had very low-level knowledge of O&M. This presentation expanded my understanding,” said another O&M workshop participant.

These Family Engagement workshops are open to parents and family members, as well as educators of youth with vision impairments. Those interested in signing up for future workshops should email Cassie Kessler, ISBVI Parent Engagement & Community Liaison, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“I’m truly committed to building something meaningful, a program that not only supports families and educators now but can also grow and thrive for years to come," Kessler says.

Stay tuned to IBCF’s social media channels for future updates on more upcoming workshops being offered by ISBVI.

Thank you, IBCF supporters, for helping make this Family Engagement Workshop possible!

A graphic features the following quote from an O&M Workshop Participant who was also the parent of a child with a vision impairment: "I plan to practice some of the techniques at the store and in the neighborhood.