Difference Makers: Certified Mobility and Orientation Specialists | PaTTANpod [S5E10]

Certified orientation and mobility specialists have a unique role in supporting students who are blind or visually impaired. Orientation and mobility specialists address orientation and travel needs of students not only in the school setting, but at home, and in the community, too.
In alignment with Pennsylvania’s dedication to Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining practitioners in education, specifically in special education, joining PaTTANpod are certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) Autumn Booths, Melissa Kenderes, and Jessica Madden.
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Autumn Booths, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI), Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS), Capital Area IU 15
Autumn Booths is a certified Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) and a Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS). She is a graduate of Kutztown University with bachelor’s degrees in special education: visual impairment (birth - 21) and elementary education (pre-k - 4). She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020 with her masters of education and in 2021 with her orientation & mobility certificate.
She has been teaching for 5 years and has taught in western and south central Pennsylvania. She became a COMS in March 2022 and has taken on that role at CAIU in addition to TSVI. She has attended and presented at various conferences throughout her teaching career. Her Practice Report, “Perceptions of High-Tech Assistive Technology Held by Students with Visual Impairments”, was published in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) in August 2022.
Melissa Kenderes, TVI and COMS, Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3
Melissa Kenderes is a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for 7 years. She has a M.A. through Western Michigan University and her undergrad is in Special Education with a minor in Deafness and Hearing Studies from Penn State University. She is part of the Deaf Blind Resource Team at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. She worked at an intervenor before becoming a TVI/COMS. She has found an interest in working O&M with a focus in Deaf Blindness.
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