Tactile O&M Strategies for DeafBlind Travelers
Virtual Webinar | June 30, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST
ACVREP CEUs Available
About This Webinar
Join Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) for a 90-minute webinar featuring research informed tactile O&M strategies for DeafBlind travelers from an HKNC and Portland State University (PSU) collaboration. Dr. Amy Parker and Dr. Tara Brown-Ogilvie will share key themes from this study discussing the use, benefits, and considerations for incorporating touch into O&M instruction to improve communication, rapport, and instructional efficiency. Additionally, DeafBlind panelists and an O&M specialist will share how these findings connect to lived experience—what helps, what gets in the way, and what practitioners can do differently to support accessible, effective travel instruction and environmental literacy.
What You’ll Learn
- Identify and describe key touch-based strategies for DeafBlind O&M instruction (touch cues, Haptics, Protactile/tactile mapping, 3D modeling, and object-based supports).
- Explain the benefits of using touch to supplement sensory information, support access to communication, and build rapport.
- Locate and select relevant resources to support continued learning and implementation after the training.
- Interpret key takeaways from the research team’s findings and connect them to practice.
Who Should Attend?
Orientation and mobility specialists at all experience levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced).
Presenters
Dr. Amy Parker
Dr. Amy Parker is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Portland State University. She has worked with people who are DeafBlind and their families as an advocate, in-home family consultant, technical assistance specialist and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialist. She has designed inclusive, multimedia curricula with interdisciplinary teams, including people who are DeafBlind and their families. She is the PI on personnel development grants to prepare future O&M Specialists and she leads transportation research grants investigating improved transit design. Her research interests include participatory research focusing on building more inclusive curricula, communities, and policies.
Dr. Tara Brown-Ogilvie
Research and Accessibility Specialist, Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults
Dr. Tara Brown-Ogilvie is a certified orientation and mobility specialist with over 15 years of experience working with youth and adults who are DeafBlind in a variety of roles. She is currently the Research and Accessibility Specialist at Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults. Her role is to support a robust research program, collaborate with universities, and provide consultation on inclusive research practices.
Panelists
Deb Marinos, MS, CRC, LPC, Founder, Adaptability for Life LLC
Deb Marinos is an Oregon licensed professional counselor, nationally certified rehabilitation counselor, and founder of Adaptability for Life LLC. Born with moderately severe hearing loss and diagnosed legally blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 35, Deb brings extensive work and lived experience using orientation and mobility skills, including white canes, guide dogs, and tactile travel strategies. She provides counseling for individuals facing emotional challenges and educates healthcare professionals on accessible and effective communication practices for people with hearing and vision loss.
Heather “Hex” Lightfoot, COMS
Heather “Hex” Lightfoot of Austin, Texas, is a Deaf mother of three, a Deaf adult, a CODA adult, and a DeafBlind teenager. An alumna of Gallaudet University and Texas Tech University, she holds a master’s degree in special education and a DeafBlind graduate certificate from Texas Tech. Heather draws from personal insights as well as professional experience as a certified orientation and mobility specialist and a transition consultant.
Maricar Marquez
Maricar Marquez is the Supervisor of the Independent Living Department at the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults (HKNC) in Sands Point, New York. She has Usher syndrome, which is characterized by profound hearing loss and progressive vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa. Maricar earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and a Master of Science in Administration from Gallaudet University, as well as a Master of Education in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy from University of Massachusetts Boston. She has provided professional development training nationally and internationally and is a co-author of Possibilities in Recreation and Leisure for Individuals Who Are DeafBlind. In her free time, Maricar enjoys running with her guide dog, Cliff.
Register
O&M Webinar Registration Form
Questions?
Contact Eleanor Coley-Brody at ecoley-brody@helenkeller.org or Christine Telford at ctelford@helenkeller.org.