BRS Orientation & Mobility Instruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which cane technique is most appropriate when navigating a crowded indoor environment with many obstacles at varying heights?
- Touch technique
- Constant contact technique (Correct answer)
- Two-point touch technique
- Diagonal cane technique
Correct answer: Constant contact technique
Constant contact technique keeps the cane tip in continuous contact with the ground, providing ongoing tactile feedback about surface changes and low obstacles in complex indoor environments.
Question 2: When teaching a client to use an indoor Sighted Guide technique on stairs, the guide should:
- Walk beside the client on the same step
- Pause at the top or bottom and allow the client to detect the step change (Correct answer)
- Announce 'steps up' or 'steps down' and proceed immediately
- Switch to the client's dominant side before approaching stairs
Correct answer: Pause at the top or bottom and allow the client to detect the step change
The guide pauses one step before the staircase so the client can detect the change in surface level with their foot before proceeding.
Question 3: A BRS specialist is conducting an O&M assessment for a client with congenital blindness. Which factor is LEAST likely to affect the client's spatial concept development?
- Quality of early mobility intervention
- Prior visual memory (Correct answer)
- Tactile exploration opportunities
- Verbal description of environments
Correct answer: Prior visual memory
Clients with congenital blindness have no prior visual memory to draw upon, making it the least relevant factor compared to tactile and experiential inputs.
Question 4: The 'shore-lining' technique in O&M refers to:
- Using water features as landmarks
- Traveling parallel to a wall or linear surface as a guide (Correct answer)
- Estimating distance by sound reflection off buildings
- A method for navigating beach or waterfront environments
Correct answer: Traveling parallel to a wall or linear surface as a guide
Shore-lining involves trailing along a wall, curb, or other linear feature to maintain a straight line of travel and use the feature as a guide.
Question 5: When introducing GPS technology to a client with acquired blindness, the O&M specialist should FIRST:
- Demonstrate the device in an unfamiliar outdoor route
- Assess the client's current technology literacy and screen reader experience (Correct answer)
- Program the most commonly used destinations into the device
- Have the client practice in a parking lot without other pedestrians
Correct answer: Assess the client's current technology literacy and screen reader experience
Assessing the client's existing technology skills ensures instruction is tailored to their baseline, preventing frustration and building on existing competencies.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of 'drop-off' lessons in O&M training?
- Teaching clients to safely descend curbs and steps
- Building problem-solving and spatial orientation by placing clients in unknown locations (Correct answer)
- Practicing disembarking from public transportation independently
- Introducing clients to new neighborhoods before formal route training
Correct answer: Building problem-solving and spatial orientation by placing clients in unknown locations
Drop-off lessons challenge clients to orient themselves and navigate from an unknown starting point, developing problem-solving skills and confidence.
Question 7: A client reports hearing echo-like sounds when approaching a wall. This phenomenon is BEST described as:
- Residual hearing compensation
- Facial vision or obstacle perception (Correct answer)
- Auditory figure-ground discrimination
- Binaural localization
Correct answer: Facial vision or obstacle perception
Facial vision (obstacle perception) is the ability to detect nearby objects through subtle changes in sound reflection and air pressure, often perceived near the face.
BRS Orientation & Mobility Instruction 2
Which cane technique is most appropriate when navigating a crowded indoor environment with many obstacles at varying heights?