Updates
Documentation Update – July 2024
As part of its regular review of OMAA documentation the executive wishes to inform members that we have clarified the wording across current versions of Terms of Reference (TOR), Scope of Practice and addendum to the Frequently Asked Questions documentation to reflect as follows:
O&M Specialists and Guide Dog Mobility Instructors (GDMIs) have approximately 80 hours experience undertaking community travel, peer teaching and/or activities of daily living with simulated low vision and/or blindness.
Vision Rehabilitation Journal
The December Issue 2023 of Vision Rehabilitation Journal is here and worth reading!
You can access the 2023 issue of Vision Rehabilitation International Journal (previously IJOM) here.
You may discover interesting articles in this issue, such as teaching intersection analysis to students with low vision or learn about our current UNSW’s O&M Specialist program. The issue also includes a review of The CVI Companion Guide – To the Developmental Guidelines for Infants with Vision Impairment: A guidebook for early intervention (2nd ed.), Amanda Hall Lueck, Deborah Chen, Elizabeth S. Hartmann.
To submit an article for publication in this journal, please contact the editor on visionrehabeditor@gmail.com
NDIS Update – February 2023
We would like to update you on what has been happening in the background with the OMAA and the NDIS. The OMAA has been working diligently, alongside other stakeholders within the blindness field, advocating for Orientation and Mobility to be given its own line-item code for invoicing.  We are feeling very positive that 2023 will be the year of moving forward with a successful outcome.
Recently, the OMAA, and other stakeholders, have met with the Honourable Bill Shorten and/or his advisor, Daniel White, to bring this matter to a successful close.  We are happy to report that Mr. Shorten is supportive of our initiative and is working alongside the OMAA and other stakeholders to resolve this matter.
The OMAA will keep you posted as this progresses. As a professional body we will continue to discuss and unpack any queries the NDIS and other stakeholders have as we all work toward an agreed and positive outcome.  OMAA executive and committee members represent you, the members, in the profession of Orientation and Mobility and will continue to bring progress reports and other matters to the membership.
There are no timelines in place yet, as mentioned, we are feeling positive about a successful resolution.  Keep doing great work out there in the field, members, and know that we will continue working hard to get this resolved.
NDIS Update
Subject: OMAA Advocacy for the Orientation and Mobility Profession to be established as a dedicated support item in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits so that Specialists can register with the NDIS.
On Monday 7 August 2022, the Orientation and Mobility Association of Australasia [OMAA] wrote to the Minister of NDIS, the Hon. Bill Shorten. In that letter, OMAA requested the Minister’s direct involvement to expedite OMAA’s application to have the profession of Orientation and Mobility (O&M) included as a recognised and autonomous profession in the NDIS. We look forward to a positive response.
Read more about this latest update here.
!! Â Queensland COMS Open !!
We are happy to announce the Queensland testing facility is now open at Queensford College in Brisbane.
The centre is available for ACVREP / Kryterion tests every Friday.
Go book in your COMS now: https://www.acvrep.org/