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Vision and Mobility Therapist

Academic programs / Undergraduate degrees / Career opportunities / Vision and Mobility Therapist

Vision and Mobility Therapist

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

Potential job titles in this career
Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Mobility Specialist, Orientation and Mobility Instructor (O and M Instructor), Orientation and Mobility Specialist (O and M Specialist), Rehabilitation Teacher, Rehabilitation Therapist, Students with Visual Impairments Teacher (TVI), Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT), Visually Impaired Teacher (TVI)

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
What will I do?
  • Teach cane skills, including cane use with a guide, diagonal techniques, and two-point touches.
  • Recommend appropriate mobility devices or systems, such as human guides, dog guides, long canes, electronic travel aids (ETAs), and other adaptive mobility devices (AMDs).
  • Train clients with visual impairments to use mobility devices or systems, such as human guides, dog guides, electronic travel aids (ETAs), and other adaptive mobility devices (AMDs).
  • Develop rehabilitation or instructional plans collaboratively with clients, based on results of assessments, needs, and goals.
  • Write reports or complete forms to document assessments, training, progress, or follow-up outcomes.
  • Train clients to use tactile, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and proprioceptive information.
  • Assess clients' functioning in areas such as vision, orientation and mobility skills, social and emotional issues, cognition, physical abilities, and personal goals.
  • Teach clients to travel independently, using a variety of actual or simulated travel situations or exercises.
  • Teach self-advocacy skills to clients.
  • Provide consultation, support, or education to groups such as parents and teachers.
  • In this career, it is important to know
    English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    It's useful to be good at
    Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

    Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

    Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

    Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

    Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

    Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

    Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

    Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

    Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

    Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
    Employment trends
    Location Pay period 2022
    10% 25% Median% 75% 90%
    United States Hourly $30.44 $37.36 $44.80 $50.35 $59.55
    Yearly $63,320 $77,700 $93,180 $104,730 $123,870
    Arizona Hourly $29.71 $37.39 $40.50 $50.43 $57.81
    Yearly $61,800 $77,770 $84,250 $104,890 $120,240
    2022 Median%
    United States $44.80 Hourly $93,180 Yearly
    Arizona $40.50 Hourly $84,250 Yearly

    Employment (2022)
    139,600 employees
    Projected growth (2022 - 2032)
    Much faster than average (11% or higher)
    Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)
    9,600
    * Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
    What are accelerated programs?
    Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

    3 year programs

    These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

    Accelerated master's

    These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

    Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
    What are concurrent programs?
    Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
    What are joint programs?
    Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

    What constitutes a new program?
    ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.
    What are online programs?
    ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
    What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?
    The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.

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