Episode 12. Inside The Mind Of an Orientation and Mobility Practitioner With Dona Sauerburger
Have you ever met someone who has accomplished so much in her career but is still humble enough to say, “I am still learning!”? In this episode, I had the privilege to interview someone who takes every opportunity to continue to grow and further her knowledge so she can share new ways to help people with disabilities.
Meet Dona Sauerburger, an Orientation and Mobility practitioner for 50 years. She is the author of Independence Without Sight or Sound and Self Study Guides: Street Crossing for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, to name a few. She loves to share ideas that could help O&M’s build strategies in addressing students’ challenges.
Dona mentored me without knowing it for 10 years. Every single time I had a question about something that wasn't in my curriculum, I always turned to her blog which I find comprehensive and talks to me in a way that I understand.
I am so excited to share that she will be doing not just one, but two presentations in the 2020 International Orientation and Mobility Online Symposium. Her co-presenter, Laura Zierer who works in American Printing House for the Blind as a Product Development Project Leader been developing a program for mobility instructors to help them teach concepts needed for uncontrolled crossings. They will discuss interesting topics like dealing with crossings where there's no traffic control, stop sign or traffic signal. She’d also like to talk about how important it is to encourage students to practice scanning in situations where there is imminent danger. I’m 100% sure that there's so much that people can learn from them.
Professionals like her are truly rare gems with a purpose, and the world needs more people like her!
