Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the taking the lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hapner with my cohost, Leslie Hoskins in Timothy Cuneo. So what's
Leslie: new guys. Oh my gosh. We have been so busy, which is exciting. There's always so many things going on, but. I feel like recently I've really been doing a lot with our virtual learning resources page.
Um, so that's kind of like a place where we have different content for a lot of different audiences. So if anybody's interested in kind of learning about some specific topics that. You can check it out. It's leader, dog.org under the resources tab, and it's called virtual learning. And then you're going to find a couple of different categories so that we have information for potential clients.
If you're interested in coming to leader dog for a program or services, we have client testimonials of which Timothy is a part of. We also have some guide dog readiness videos. There's a really good video on kind of like when do I know if I should start using a white cane? You know, that's a call. We get a lot of.
There's a really good [00:01:00] video on there. Additionally, there's a category for our graduates. So those who have attended and kind of, um, done one of the leader, dog programs, there's some really nice resources there. We have a category for our family and friends that support network of like frequently asked questions.
We have family testimonials on their loved ones who have come in to training and how the family felt about. Kind of when to help somebody after they've returned home from training, you never know when to jump in when not to. And then lastly, of course, we also have some resources for our other professionals in the field.
So if they're seeking continuing education credits through ACB IEP, there's some good stuff. So I've just been. Uh, adding new content, our team has been wonderful at developing new stuff. There's I think we'll never run out of topics to get out there. And then on top of it, we've been holding these monthly collaboration events, and I think they're kind of like our biggest kept secret.
So once a month it's like a live webinar. And we partner with other organizations within the [00:02:00] blindness and low vision field and learn about what else they have going on. So as we know, leader, dog is one piece of the puzzle. We've really focused on mobility, but there's so many other aspects to rehab that people can benefit from or technology, products, services, all sorts of things.
So. We've partnered with American printing house Hadley Institute for the blind Perkins, um, computers for the blind. We just partnered with the Chicago lighthouse for the blind and learned a whole bunch about just a low vision services in general and how to find them in your area. So I'm telling you as a profession in this field for my eight years now, um, I have learned something every single month and it's been so fun to kind of share these additional resources with clients and other professionals in the field.
So that's my plug for today too, is that I'm just adding new stuff to that. So please check it out. Cause it's all really, really exciting stuff. Yeah. Leslie,
Christina: you're up a lot. It sounds like. And um, those events all. We put them [00:03:00] out on our Facebook and LinkedIn. So professionals, if you're looking for those events once a month, you can find them on our LinkedIn or our Facebook page.
So that's also an easy way to find it
Leslie: as well. And if you want to join us, so I'm always looking for new organizations or resources to share because it's a win-win. We get an opportunity to share about leader, dog with their audience and people. And then they get an opportunity to share with our clients and our agency context about what they have going on, because we're all in this together.
And that's one of the coolest things about this field that I learned when I joined is we're all working for the same mission. So yes, of course there's a little bit of competitiveness here and there, but really we just want people to be served and, and travel independently and get out there and do all these things.
I absolutely love making connections and meeting other agencies and professionals. And it's. It's just really cool and I'm really excited about it. So I'm happy to share. So if you're listening, give Leslie a call, please call me. [00:04:00] That's what I've been doing. But today we are here to continue a celebrating a leader dogs for the blind 20 years of orientation of mobility, which is again that white cane training.
So our guest today has been part of the leader dog family for 24 years and is a huge part of the ONM program. Yes,
Christina: Erica arche is a certified orientation in mobility specialists and the manager of the extended services. Erica is responsible for not only the ONM program, but summer experience camp, both in-person and virtual Tom talks and all the accessible technology such as a GPS.
And it's safe to say that Erica is involved in all aspects of leader, dog, but also within the ONM field. Erica has presented at numerous professional conferences was the president of the Michigan professional organization and has been involved in many projects within the field, including helping design the certification exam.
I come to, which is super [00:05:00] cool.
Timothy: Hello, Erica. And welcome to the podcast. Can you tell us what brought you to leader dog, how you got involved with them?
Erica: Thanks all for having me. Um, I got involved at leader dog really just by chance. Um, I was dating my now husband and his mom happened to be, uh, working at leaders.
I had a summer camp job lined up. Um, and it just hadn't started yet because it started after, you know, traditional school got out and I was a college student, so I had like three weeks of limbo and my dad's like, Erica, you gotta get a job. And I'm like, I have a little break before I start that job. So I said to my now mother-in-law Hey, I need something to do to get my dad off my
Leslie: back.
Erica: And she was like, well, I need some part-time [00:06:00] help in the residence. Uh, and we called it the dorm at the time. I need some part-time help in the dorm doing some housekeeping stuff. You could probably continue to do that job when you go back to college in the fall by coming home on some weekends and stuff like that.
I was like, I'll take. And here I am, 24 years later,
Leslie: you know, where he
Erica: different role started in some housekeeping, helping our clients. Um, at that time I, uh, chopped my job title. How's mom. Now they're known as resident service assistants or resident assistants, and everybody loves our RAs and that role has grown so much.
Um, but it really started out from, you know, like us being the moms and helping people out with anything they needed while they were staying with us at leader dog. Again, I thought that that job was [00:07:00] going to just be part time and. I saw the organization really start to evolve in a short amount of time.
At the, when I first joined, we were still in LA, you know, have the extension of the farm house. The property looked very different. And then we were building our, our new residents and program started to change a little bit and here came orientation and mobility. And I was like, What's that. And at the same time, I was finishing my teaching degree in student teaching, but still working part-time at leader dog.
Cause I loved being there. And I was like, as I was looking for a teaching job is teaching really for me and I, our grad students from Western Michigan university had come in to be a part of our own program for a week. And I started asking them a ton of questions. Tell me about what you guys are learning about what you're doing with.[00:08:00]
So you're not working with dogs and leader dogs. And, uh, really found like a niche. I knew that I wanted to continue to work at leader, dog. It was hard. Like something just kept me staying there. Um, and I, I, it, the light bulb went off. That's, that's what I want to do. And
Leslie: I think that's how so many of our team members have gotten involved in leader, dog, our family members, or knowing somebody who's come to leader dog.
But when we say the leader, dog, family, I mean, we really mean the leader, dog family. And that is across the board as team members, as clients, as volunteers, as donors, like w once you're involved, you are part of the family. And we say that all the time, and we truly mean it, and that is felt to her out the organization.
So I totally understand. I felt the same way when I got here was just. Like, I want to be a part of this. I never want to leave. Um, it's just such a wonderful organization. So, [00:09:00] uh, you, uh, kind of switched gears and you're in your profession, right? You're get super interested at leader, dog, the ONM. Can you tell us, um, how does somebody become a certified orientation and mobility specialists, which again is somebody who teaches those white cane skills?
Erica: Sure. So most of the time it's through university training. Through a master's degree program. And once somebody completes their master's degree program, they, um, become certified by taking. An international exam, if you will. Um, that inner national exam gives you like that stamp of official approval, that you are a certified orientation and mobility specialist, and that you're committed to the scope of practice, the code of ethics and continuing education because our field continues to evolve.
And it's really important to be on your toes and know what's going on. Not only. Using a white cane and how [00:10:00] our clientele is changing, but also how the environment and the traffic landscape has changed.
Leslie: And so I also am a certified orientation mobility specialist and started my career with Erica, um, at leader dog as an intern, and then was fortunate enough to join the team.
Um, so Erica and I know each other very well, and I'm very appreciative to all of the health throughout my career that Erica has provided me. Um, but I always think it's so funny. Like even my close family and friends. I understand what we do as an orientation mobility specialist. So can you walk us through like a week?
Like what does your team do?
Erica: Yeah, our team is really involved in building rapport with a client and getting to know them on an individual to meet their independent travel goals. So that's taking them from where they're at, whether they've never had a cane, a white cane before. And. Teaching them how to huge use a [00:11:00] human guide to crossing streets, to planning routes.
It's meeting them where they're at and helping them to increase those independent travel goals to where they can take it to them to reach their potential, whether that be a guide dog in the future or an independent traveler using.
Christina: Yeah. I personally have gotten to, um, shadow your team and see what you guys do, which blows my mind.
It's amazing. And I was able to even do my own blindfold blindfold walk with your team. And I think even what our clients are able to learn is amazing because let me tell you, I bring them into the grass. I did not know where I was going. So to be able to, I mean, your team to be able to teach. What they do.
And our clients leave confident that they can get around is amazing. I mean, I only was with them for a short amount of time when I was doing that blindfold walk, but [00:12:00] if I was there for a week, I mean, I, I know your team would be able to get. To where I needed to be if I needed that. So I think it's amazing.
Um, but a lot of people don't know as well as when they think leader dogs for the blind, they think guide dogs. So they don't know we have this whole other avenue and there's so many programs that you guys are run by yourself. Tell us a little bit about the different types of things that you, um, run within the orientation and mobility program.
Erica: Sure. So Christina you're spot on our ONM program is leader dogs best kept secret. Um, you know, while we've served a lot of people, almost 1100 clients in the last 20 years. There's a lot more out there that we want to reach, we want to touch. Um, so we do that of course, through orientation and mobility training or O and M, but we've, our team has also branched out a little bit to include summer experience camp camp.
So I, in my intro, [00:13:00] I shared that, you know, I kind of came from a camp background and a teaching background. So, um, my former, my, my first manager in, in my role at leader dog is an O and M instructor saw that camp, uh, person in me, and he had a bit of a camp vibe, um, and loved his experiences as a child and was like, we've got it.
We've got to figure out how we can do that at liter dock. That's how we're going to get people in the door. And once we get them in the door, Then they become life long partners with us. Um, so summer experience camp, uh, and. Uh, out of grown out of the pandemic, we got some awesome opportunities to think outside of the box.
Um, we were really disheartened in March of 2020, you know, when we thought it was only going to be at. [00:14:00] Shut down our applications for summer camp, or you usually do, um, around the first part of April. And when we were opening back up, we kept pushing the application deadline a little bit further and decisions a little bit further.
And then I only, we had to make that tough decision to not have camp. And we were all pretty broken hearted because we put so much time and effort and energy and we reserved. For every single year for bringing in those 16 and 17 year olds. Um, and so we were like, we've got to figure out how we can connect with this audience.
So in six short weeks, we, we, um, put together virtual summer experience camp, which proved to be. Just as awesome of an experience and making those connections, um, with, uh, teenagers and with, [00:15:00] and them with each other and learning about mobility and a little bit of leadership skills, which is same goals we have for our summer camp.
So of course we did one and the pandemic continued. And how are we going to reimagine ourselves? Uh, we were serving clients. We changed a little bit from, um, just to serving clients on property to some in their home areas. And we shot back down again and. Always had this idea of, is there ever an opportunity to get you to do your winter camp, but we know that it's quite challenging, right?
With, uh, with kids schedules and
Leslie: Snell's no, no. We'd
Erica: like to be outside when we think camp. So we, uh, our team got really creative and pulled out Tom talks, which is Tom stands for technology, orientation and [00:16:00] mobility, and a similar concept, but just we've taken it to the next level with a little bit older crowd, a little more, um, seminar ish, um, and, and a bit more professional.
Leslie: So it's totally safe to say that the ONM department is not just orientation of mobility. It's called extended services is the whole department for a reason because they're providing the white cane training, which is that orientation mobility. Now they're now providing summer experience camp. In-person.
And virtual, which is two different programs. Um, and then Tom talks, which is happening typically in January, kind of those winter months. And for that older audience, not to mention you guys are responsible for all of the technology, which leader dog is, um, always staying ahead and technology. We incorporate accessible GPS into our guide dog travel and into a lot of our.
Mobility at leader dogs. So Erica and her team cover a lot of different programs and a lot of different services. And [00:17:00] they are only a team currently of four. So out of those four individuals, you serve on average, how many clients a
Erica: year about at this point about a hundred clients a year. I mean, give or take a few, you know, the pandemic and that kind of stuff.
For ONM about a hundred, um, in summer camp or our maximum capacity is 24. And generally we're between 20 and 24, every single summer. Um, Tom talks in, um, You know, virtual camper kind of limitless when it comes to that. But we are averaging group sizes between 10 and 20, which is nice and intimate to really get to know people and connect.
Um, I'd be remiss if I also didn't share about our professional seminar for other ONM instructors. Um, so we bring in once a year, other orientation and mobility specialists from around the. And help to upskill them on preparing clients [00:18:00] for working, for working with clients who have guide dogs or who are interested in guide dog travel.
It's just such a small niche market and our field that it takes some extra training. There's like one chapter and two huge volumes of our foundational books that just gives a little glimpse into it. So that is super impactful. Um, to our team to reach out to others, to connect in that way and continue to spread that.
Yeah, that is
Christina: amazing. And Timothy, I know you've talked about this before, but those white cane skills, that orientation, mobility training, it's something you have to have.
Leslie: It's the
Christina: foundation, um, for cause Timothy, you've talked about how you had to practice.
Timothy: Got a practice. And you never know if you're going to get in a situation with your dog, that you can't determine what she's doing.
So you've got to get that cane out. Cause you can explore more with that cane. It's telling you what's in [00:19:00] front of you. And I've had some incidents where I'm glad I had a cane along with me. So you got to have that cane.
Leslie: Absolutely. And I'm curious, well, I'm not curious cause I know, but I'm sure other people are curious.
Um, what is the difference between how we do orientation mobility at leader dog versus most other organizations that provide that white cane training? Cause we're a little unique in that way.
Erica: We are very unique in our service delivery approach is. Really sets us apart from the way that orientation and mobility is delivered anywhere else.
So, um, we, our model is that we work with clients in a, uh, condensed or in an immersive, um, model. So we're working with clients one-on-one as traditional O one M is provided, but in a five day period, Um, and just building on those [00:20:00] foundational skills step by step by step. So what you learn in one lesson continues to carry on into the next and like building blocks, if you will, or stepping stones that overlap a little bit, um, In the traditional setting, orientation and mobility instructors are, uh, what we call itinerant.
So they're covering a large area, um, and visiting clients in their home area or their home school. Um, and working with them maybe an hour, every couple of weeks, maybe an hour a month. So. Um, foundation, does it build necessarily as quickly? We all know, we learn best with repetition, right. And a continued sequence of rec repetition.
And at leader dog, we like isolate just working on orientation and mobility in that, uh, sequestered, [00:21:00] I guess is my best word I can think of right now. So we're just thinking about only that we're trying to alleviate any other concerns or
Christina: worries. Yeah. And our clients need good walking shoes because I know I've seen.
Them. And they do a lot of a walking that week because you're constantly practicing, which is great.
Erica: We're going to take it as far as, you know, somebody can. So, you know, the, the more stamina, physical stamina that someone has. Likely the further we're going to get with their progress, but you know, some people learn things, um, in a, in a different way too, and can mentally absorb without as many repetition.
So it really varies from person to person and we're going to meet them where they're at. And
Leslie: I always think it's just such a cool program, because again, w we know it's difficult to find services in general and orientation mobility, and a lot of, you know, state programs or different agencies provide that [00:22:00] itinerant model.
It also, you're only getting an hour here or there, which is still wonderful services to be clear. Those are still absolutely. We want to partner with that. So ideally if you are receiving services with your state, um, you can still come to us. It's not going to impact those hours that you're getting through this state.
So it's a great idea. Completed her dog, build on those skills and one kind of intense week. That's completely individualized for what you need, um, and then go home and continue getting those services through your state or whoever. So
Christina: I'm curious. Um, let's say I don't want a guide dog. Can I still. Yeah. Um,
Erica: and white cane training.
Yes. You can still come to leader dog. So first when our program was born, it was born out of necessity because we had a. Clients applying to our guy talk program that didn't have the orientation and mobility skills. Um, and we were turning them away to contact someone in their home area. And then they were on wait list for a long [00:23:00] time.
Um, or we weren't seeing them come back to us. And when we did a little deeper dive, we, we found out why it was, you know, there was an unmet need out there. So later dogs started with those clients that want it to turn around to guide dog travel. But the. We found out that, of course there's greater need out there.
So we're going to open up our doors to folks that if they just want their cane skills, we'll do that
Leslie: too. That's totally okay. I can't remember. Timothy, were you interested in a guy at dog when you came for ONM or not?
Timothy: When I first got there, Lizzie, I had no idea back in. I got the whole guy when I got there.
I just wanted the all and training. And while I was there, I saw what those dogs were doing with the. It's that we're there and I'm going, man. That's, that's fascinating what they're doing. So, uh, I think the last day I was there, I was allowed to try out a guide dog for about 30, 40 minutes. And once I got ahold of that, I go, I want one of the [00:24:00] keys and I want the pink slip.
And so I wanted that dog and he said, no, we can't do that. So, uh, that's when I decided to come back and get me a
Christina: guide dog, and there's some people that can't take care of a dog. This is a great way. Don't
Leslie: want one, right? The, for the poop, as we've talked about before, there are a lot of work, but I always find it so fun.
Yeah. When clients come in, they're like, I don't want a guide dog. I have no desire to get a guide dog. And then sometimes when you're there, like, you're just saying Timothy, you're seeing. The smooth they travel sometimes. And you start to think, well, maybe I, maybe I could do that. You know, um, so many times clients do come to us and they're not interested in a guide dog at all, which again, totally fine.
There is zero pressure to get a guide dog, but once they're there and around them and kind of see and learn more about the, you know, realistic expectations of them, many times clients do decide they want to come back for a guide dog and that's cool too. We'll help them reach that goal. But our ONM program is just, it's so [00:25:00] unique and it's, it's such a fun thing, but what would you say, Erica?
You know, you've been doing this for a very long time. What is your favorite part of teaching orientation? Mobility? Oh, uh, my
Erica: favorite part of teaching orientation and mobility is definitely getting to know each client and helping them to achieve their goals. But I love to see that aha moment when it really just something.
That we're exchanging information on just all the sudden clicks for the client. Um, and I love to create that distance in between me as the instructor and the client to help. Get them ready for going home and that independent travel. I have personally a little bit of a hard time doing that because I enjoy the company of our clients so much and chatting away with them.
Um, so sometimes the distance is created by, [00:26:00] uh, So that I don't chat as
Leslie: the training,
Erica: but also, you know, in the end when our clients go home at the end of the week, it's our, you know, like role to me to give them that like preparedness for that. I always hear from our clients, whether they're working with me or any of our other instructors, I hear Leslie talking in my ear still, uh, you know, two
Leslie: weeks after I've gone home, I still
Timothy: got that problem.
I still
Leslie: might be right here. I, so just to really break it down. Cause again, like I said, even my husband, sometimes it has no idea what orientation and mobility is and hears me talk about it all the time. But so as an ONM instructor or we're taking clients out on the streets, we're teaching them how to travel.
Sidewalk or teaching them how to find a curb at an intersection. [00:27:00] We're teaching them how to cross streets. We're teaching them how to navigate, how to get from point a to point B and remember kind of where you're at within that map. We're teaching basic skills of opening and folding a cane of going up and down stairs, going through doorways, getting in cars.
I mean, you name it. We are going over it during this program. Um, and so when Eric is talking about like the distance we are, we're right along there with you. So we're walking in so many times at the beginning of the week, like Erin mentioned, we're right up next to the client and we're right there. We're stopping at curves with them.
But then our goal is by the end of the week on Friday that we can be across the street or maybe say, you know what, go ahead and get started. I'll meet you out there because we want our. To travel as if we're not there. Right. So they're going to go home. They're not going to have an O and M instructor following five feet behind them.
Um, so we're really building that confidence throughout that week and we're starting slow, but gradually kind of like spacing yourselves out. And Eric is spot on. It's hard to do as an ONM instructor because. [00:28:00] It's so much fun, right? Being an ONM instructor, we're out walking, we're going into shops and practicing.
We're going to the grocery store. We're doing all these fun things that at zero point, does our job ever feel like a job? I feel like. Um, and so, especially when you're having such a good time with clients, it is hard to kind of separate. And as Timothy you've mentioned before, you know, you know, when you're having a good time and then, you know, when it's time to work during the ONM program,
Timothy: 20 liter dogs program, O and M, then another ONM.
Erica: Sure. I, again, it's really about that service delivery. It's just the, the condensed format in which we provide that service and the quickness, I guess, of really getting those skills ingrained in what you do.
Leslie: Absolutely. And just a reminder to everybody, this program is completely free, just like all of our other programs, that leader dog, um, in true, including airfare.
So we do fly people [00:29:00] in from all over the U S and Canada to receive this training. It's one week long, typically. On our campus in Rochester Hills, um, and ends up being between 25 and 30 hours of direct instruction. So we spend a lot of time together.
Erica: A lot of time together, we exchange family stories. And at the end of the week, sometimes there are tears, right?
Like, oh my gosh, I've learned so much. And really we learn as much from our clients as we're able to give to them. That's another rewarding experience. I could tell you, you know, a million times over why orientation and mobility is such an awesome program.
Leslie: Absolutely. So if you're thinking about going into the field and want to talk about it, Eric and I could talk O and M all day and hour, if you're thinking maybe it is time that I pick up a white cane, maybe I have noticed I'm missing some steps here and there running into some walls or doorways and things like that.
Maybe it's time. So give us a call. We're happy to talk through all [00:30:00] of those questions that you may have. It's a wonderful program. You can tell both Eric and I, and everybody at leader dogs are very passionate about what we do and how we do it at leader dogs. So thank you Erica, for being here today and sharing all of your amazing knowledge with us.
We certainly appreciate it. And thank you so much to our listeners for listening to the taking the lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with hosts, Timothy Cuneo and Christina. We hope you enjoy learning more about the orientation of mobility program and celebrating our 20 years of ONM at leader dog, please join us next week as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
And if you
Christina: liked today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever podcast stream. And you can email us if you have any questions, ideas, or if you're looking to get more information, you can also send us an email here to at taking the lead at leader, dog dot.