SOMA/SWOMA Program 2026

Topics

• Access
• Canes and AMDs
• Children
• Collaboration and Teamwork
• Culture / Community / Family
• DeafBlind
• Guide Dogs
• GDMI Track
• Maps and Models
• Preparing / Training for a Guide Dog
• O&M Programs
• Professional growth
• Teaching Strategies
• Technology / GPS

Sessions

Access

• Accessibility at Beaverton Transit Center: Improving Public Transit Through Participatory Design - Amy Parker, Katja LaFlamme, Cleo McClintock, Kirsten Hille, Rhianna Baldree
• Rising to the Challenge: Accessing Modern Elevators Without Sight - L. Dianne Luce, Joey Gan

Canes and AMDs

• AMD Transitions, Modification & Design - Lynn Gautreaux
• Quick and Easy Cane Repairs and Modifications - Lynn Gautreaux
• Walking surface change detection with the long cane: Factors that affect surface texture discrimination - Dae Kim
• The Art of AMDs - Ellen Blaydes

Children

• Growing Up with Confidence: How the Belt Cane Allows Incidental and Active Learning to Occur Naturally - Geri Darko, Marjie Wood
• Exploring the World Through Play: Promoting Early Movement & Exploration in Birth-3 O&M - Amy Fletcher and Rita Garcia
• ECC: Not a Curriculum but a Compass - Susie Drake
• Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum (also listed under "O&M Programs")
• Integrating META Smart Glasses into a Summer O&M Program for High School Students Preparing for College and Work - Susan Lee, Alecia Davidson, Amanda Perez, Patrick Rich (also listed under "technology")
• Music, Movement and Mobility in O&M -- Jennifer Pelletier (also listed under "Teaching strategies" and "Collaboration")

Collaboration and Teamwork

• Stop! Collaborate an Listen - Audra Bishop, Kelley Nicholson, Lisa Hanson
• How to Train Your Teams So Generalization is a Breeze - Kassandra Maloney
• Moving Together: The Power of Collaboration - Amy Hayslette
• It Takes a Team: Case Studies in Collaborative O&M Instruction for Deafblind Learners - Stacey Colley (also listed under "DeafBlind")
• Individualized Approach to Personnel Preparation: Achieving More Through Collaboration - Laura Bozeman, Nora Griffin-Shirley
• Music, Movement and Mobility in O&M - Jennifer Pelletier (also listed under "children" and "Teaching strategies")

Culture / Community / Family

• Fighting culture, poverty, and family ties to help consumers find acceptance, independence, and dignity - Toni I. Walls; Mary Beth Kelty
• Effective School, Family, and Community Engagement for Today’s World - Courtney Forman, Edgenie Bellah, Hex Lightfoot, Yolanda Shaw

DeafBlind

• Instruction Through Touch: Tactile Maps and Direction Giving for DeafBlind Travelers - Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan (also listed under "Maps and Models")
• Touching Independence: Considerations for O&M with DeafBlind Clients - Jenna Rydl
• Communication in Motion: Practical Strategies for DeafBlind O&M Instruction - Taylor McCaffrey, Debbie Fiderer, Rosanna Babore
• DeafBlind-Centered Orientation & Mobility in Practice: Tactile Instruction, Co-Presence, and Relational Navigation - Hayley Broadway, Elysia Benton
• It Takes a Team: Case Studies in Collaborative O&M Instruction for Deafblind Learners - Stacey Colley (also listed under "Collaboration and Teamwork")
• DeafBlind-Centered Approach to Tactile Learning and Exploration - Heather Lightfoot, Edgenie Bellah, Amy Parker

Guide Dogs

• A Day in the Life - Chelsea White, Ruthanne Dewey
• Successful Partnerships through Positive Training and Cooperative Communication - Lauren Christie, Bill Lang

GDMI Track

• The Seeing Eye's Partial Occlusion Program - Lukas Franck, Kristen Oplinger
• Moving Forward: Technology and the Guide Dog Partnership - Bill Lang, Kristen Oplinger (also listed under "technology")

Preparing / Training for a Guide Dog

• Guide Dog Readiness: Tips, Tools, and Tricks - Rachal Havens, Alyssa Ottis
• Comprehensive O&M Support Across the Guide Dog Journey - Meredith Bryde, Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan
• Before the Guide Dog: Two Families’ Paths to Independence - Belinda Fayard, Megan Fayard, Nicol Medina, Grace Medina
• From Cane to Canine: Guiding the Transition with Practical Strategies for O&M Specialists - Hannah Jones, Garret Waldie, Nikki Wentz, Danielle Cuenoud

Maps and Models

• Finding a Path to Efficient Map Readers - Jennifer Brooks, Alicia Wolfe
• Tactile Tech in O&M: Engaging Learners Through 3D Printing and Laser Cutting - Maddie Goswick and Susan Drake
• Instruction Through Touch: Tactile Maps and Direction Giving for DeafBlind Travelers - Sarah Duyck, Chelsea Nohan (also listed under "DeafBlind")
• Participatory Approaches to Designing Tactile Symbology for Tactile Maps - Amy Parker, Katja LaFlamme; Damian Janda, Beth Carrillo, Kate Almon, Ky Wiese, Mallary Hoefer, & Caron Isakson

O&M Programs

• Ready! Set! Go! - A Summer Program for South Carolina Youth to Fill Their Transportation Toolboxes - Tina Herzberg, L. Penny Rosenblum (also listed under "Children")
• Not All Models Are Created Equal: Exploring Inequities in State O&M Referral Systems - Justin Kaiser, Tina Herzberg, Tessa McCarthy
• Building Core O&M Skills Through Thematic Units - Shelby Kannanaikkal, Stephanie Herlich (also listed under "Teaching Strategies")
• “Most Outstanding”: What Defines Excellence in O&M Instruction? - Katie Ericson

Professional Growth

• Charting the Course: A Conversation for New and Seasoned O&M Specialists - Katie Ericson, Courtney Forman
• Balancing Workloads for Itinerant O&M Specialists: What the Research Says and How to Manage Workload to Prevent Burnout - Rona Pogrund, Katie Ericson
• Leading from Where You Are: Leadership Mindset and Practice in O&M - Amanda Stolz, Alex Livingston

Teaching Strategies

• Music, Movement and Mobility in O&M - Jennifer Pelletier (also listed under "children" and "Collaboration")
• Beyond Technique: Psychosocial Feedback Loops in Orientation & Mobility - Alex Livingston
• Essential Tools of the Trade for the Orientation and Mobility Specialist - Mary Shore, Scott Turner, Beverly Jackson, Marjie Wood
• Turn Everyday Board Games into O&M Activities - Miriam Beall
• Implementing the Rosen Method: Case Studies on the Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Teaching - Amy Parker, Mallary Hoefer, Brooklyn Hufstader, Emily Algranati; Jennifer Stanley; Remina Goude; Claire Rivas; Zach Stanley; Sav Schultz
• Cross to Win - Linda Hinkle
• Building Core O&M Skills Through Thematic Units - Shelby Kannanaikkal, Stephanie Herlich (also listed under "Programs")

Technology / GPS

• Navigating Your Way to Independence - Mike May, Jack Mitchell
• Moving Forward: Technology and the Guide Dog Partnership - Bill Lang, Kristen Oplinger (also listed under "GDMI")
• Unlocking Independence- SMART Technology Solutions for Wheelchair Users with Visual Impairments - Lindsey Sharpe, Angela Regier
• Integrating META Smart Glasses into a Summer O&M Program for High School Students Preparing for College and Work - Susan Lee, Alecia Davidson, Amanda Perez, Patrick Rich (also listed under "children")

PROGRAM COMMITTEE: