See also O&M Living History -- Where Did Our O&M Techniques Come From?

Learning to be an O&M specialist in the Class of 1969

As part of the AER Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Division's celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the establishment of university O&M programs, I was asked to make a videotape explaining my exeriences becoming an O&M specialist 40 years ago. At first it felt strange to consider myself as historic (gads!) but then I realized it really WAS different then -- how we dressed, having to write our own textbooks, being a woman entering a Man's World, etc. So links to these videos are below -- enjoy!

NOTE: The links to the YouTube videos below may not be accessible from restricted sites.

Teaching MAGIC!
How I found out about O&M in 1966




Teaching O&M in a dress or coat and tie?? Bring on the jeans!
What did O&Mers wear 30-40 years ago when teaching O&M?




Should women be teaching O&M?
The first O&M specialists were all men -- I was fortunate to have been accepted!




Being a university student with no textbooks
Fees for textbooks aren't very much when you have to write your own!



NOTE: The large red textbook that I show at the end of the video is only one of two volumes of the third edition of the Foundations of O&M! In the photo below, both volumes are shown beside the first O&M textbook, by Butch (Everett) Hill and Purvis Ponder (1976).

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