Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
Provide therapy to patients with visual impairments to improve their functioning in daily life activities. May train patients in activities such as computer use, communication skills, or home management skills.
Also known as: Blind Orientation and Mobility Therapist (Blind O and M Therapist), Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), Global Mobility Specialist, Low Vision Therapist, Mobility Professional, Mobility Specialist, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Much faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Teach cane skills, including cane use with a guide, diagonal techniques, and two-point touches.
- Refer clients to services, such as eye care, health care, rehabilitation, and counseling, to enhance visual and life functioning or when condition exceeds scope of practice.
- Provide consultation, support, or education to groups such as parents and teachers.
- Participate in professional development activities, such as reading literature, continuing education, attending conferences, and collaborating with colleagues.
- Obtain, distribute, or maintain low vision devices.
- Design instructional programs to improve communication, using devices such as slates and styluses, braillers, keyboards, adaptive handwriting devices, talking book machines, digital books, and optical character readers (OCRs).
- Collaborate with specialists, such as rehabilitation counselors, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists, to provide client solutions.
- Teach clients to travel independently, using a variety of actual or simulated travel situations or exercises.
- Train clients to use tactile, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and proprioceptive information.
- Train clients to use adaptive equipment, such as large print, reading stands, lamps, writing implements, software, and electronic devices.
- Monitor clients' progress to determine whether changes in rehabilitation plans are needed.
- Write reports or complete forms to document assessments, training, progress, or follow-up outcomes.
- Develop rehabilitation or instructional plans collaboratively with clients, based on results of assessments, needs, and goals.
- Assess clients' functioning in areas such as vision, orientation and mobility skills, social and emotional issues, cognition, physical abilities, and personal goals.
- 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).
- Identify visual impairments related to basic life skills in areas such as self care, literacy, communication, health management, home management, and meal preparation.
- Teach independent living skills or techniques, such as adaptive eating, medication management, diabetes management, and personal management.
- Recommend appropriate mobility devices or systems, such as human guides, dog guides, long canes, electronic travel aids (ETAs), and other adaptive mobility devices (AMDs).
- Teach self-advocacy skills to clients.
- Administer tests and interpret test results to develop rehabilitation plans for clients.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.