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Facts From NLTS2: Orientation and Mobility Skills of Secondary School Students With Visual Impairments
NCSER 2008-3007
November 2007

Receipt of Orientation and Mobility Training

School personnel who knew students well were asked to indicate whether "mobility training had been provided [to] this student from or through the school system during this school year (including services contracted from other agencies)."5 They reported that 54 percent of youth with visual impairments receive such training. Students with visual impairments who attend special schools are significantly more likely to receive orientation and mobility training than students who attend regular schools (figure 5; 80 percent vs. 47 percent, p < .001). Students who are blind are more likely to receive orientation and mobility training than students who are partially sighted (77 percent vs. 48 percent, respectively, p < .01). There are no statistically significant differences in the receipt of orientation and mobility services associated with students who have coexisting disabilities or with their gender, age, grade level, race/ethnicity, or household income.

5 Receipt of mobility training and performance on orientation and mobility skills are the only variables related to orientation and mobility in the NLTS2 dataset. Thus, it is not possible to provide a description of the types of orientation and mobility services students receive.