Blog

West Point Cadet Mary Claire Schleck will be presenting "Revisiting the Role of the White Cane for Congenitally Blind Children" at the...

The entire field of orientation and mobility (O&M) exists because of the dog guide and, later, the long cane. These tools were originally developed for WWI and WWII veterans, respectively. The curriculum for teaching independent travel to blind individuals was designed around newly blind, fully functioning adults—people who had previously relied on vision. This blog explores the literature on bringing long cane training from the military to universities and, eventually, to sc

History of O&M describes the long, slow, tortured road of retro-fitting adult long canes and O&M methods for children.

William Hanks Levy and Elizabeth Gilbert invented the long cane technique constant contact for blind adults in 1872.

Discover the fascinating origin story of orientation and mobility (O&M) for children born with visual impairments. From early pre-cane skills to the invention of the long cane, learn how blind children and WWII veterans shaped safe independent mobility, and why early intervention transformed the way blind toddlers learn to navigate their world.

Teaching blind children before long canes were invented shows why we believe bruises are instructional for blind babies.

From the 1700s to the 1900s, blind children were often excluded from mobility training and safe exploration. This post traces the evolution of early intervention practices—from the first institutions for blind youth to the emergence of orientation and mobility education. Learn how early efforts, both groundbreaking and flawed, laid the groundwork for today’s innovations in independent movement for children born blind.

For over a century, blind toddlers have been held to lower expectations for independent walking. Outdated beliefs and unsafe practices have left them stationary, while sighted peers run and explore. This article uncovers how we got here—and how modern tools like the pediatric belt cane are empowering blind children to walk, run, and play safely at last.

Netflix's New Series “All the Light We Cannot See” Shines A Light on the History of un-Safe Mobility for Blind Children The Netflix TV...

Until now there was no mobility device for children under the age of two and there is a lack of funding for early intervention services...

Dr. Josephine DeFini was gifted in math from a very young age. Born with low vision, as the first born – she helped look after her 3...

In the March 19, 2008, New York Times story on Theresa (Terri) Fiorentino’s tragic death after falling onto the tracks at Croton Harmon...

Co-hosts of the Safe Toddles Pediatric Belt Cane podcast, Grace Ambrose-Zaken and Kelvin Crosby, discuss the origin story and impact of...

Happy JoJo Day! to one and all!! Every September 5 is remembered as the day JoJo demonstrated the transformative effect of safe mobility....

1967 photo of preschooler who is blind and his teacher In a black-and-white photograph published in New Outlook for the Blind  in September 1967, a preschool boy who is blind walks forward while his teacher bends over behind him, smiling. She holds both of his hands above his shoulders as he leads the way. It’s a tender image—yet troubling. The child’s head is bowed; he can’t see where they’re going. By holding both of his hands, the teacher leaves him unable to protect his b