Students in the Advanced Certificate in Orientation and Mobility program complete a total of 35 hours in field experience within specific courses, 240 hours of blindfold and low vision simulation laboratory exercises,  and 350 hours of internship as either full-time (40 hours per week) or part-time (20 hours per week) interns. Candidates complete internships in specialized settings (vision rehabilitation agency or school settings with learners who are blind or visually impaired). Blindfold and low vision simulation laboratory exercises are where students learn to teach other students to travel with occluded vision. Field experiences are required hours of observation of orientation and mobility specialists within a specialized setting. Courses have various written requirements that accompany these field hours.

Fieldwork hours serve three main purposes:

1. They provide teacher candidates with an opportunity to observe individuals who are blind or visually impaired immediately upon entering the Advanced Certificate program.
2. They allow candidates to determine whether they are really comfortable with this low incidence population and helps them to reflect on the appropriateness of their choice of entering this O&M teaching specialization. 
3. They provide a way for teacher candidates to link theory and practice in individual courses and test their own developing ideas, with guidance from the professors teaching the courses.

The required fieldwork courses are:

Course instructors provide details on the specific activities to be undertaken at each of the fieldwork sites.  Students may select the sites to visit where they can observe learners who are blind or visually impaired.  Instructors can help students find specific sites.

Student Teaching and Practicum

SPED 767    Orientation and Mobility: Internship/Seminar

Students complete 350 hours of internship in either a vision rehabilitation agency or school that serves learners who are blind or visually impaired. All hours of O&M Internship are supervised by an ACVREP certified O&M Specialist (COMS). Interns are required to maintain professional case files and be formally observed while teaching individuals who are blind and visually impaired by both on-site and Hunter supervisory personnel.

prereq or coreq: SPED 765, 766, 768, 769 30 hrs seminar, plus 350 hours (fulltime (40 hours a week) or part-time (20 hours a week) of internship in one setting, 2 cr