Abstract

GARCIA LLAMAS, Juan José  and  GOMEZ LOPEZ, Luis Felipe. Sensory compensation and development of mental maps for orientation and autonomous mobility in blind children. Sinéctica [online]. 2019, n.53.  Epub Aug 28, 2020. ISSN 2007-7033.  https://doi.org/10.31391/s2007-7033(2019)0053-008.

The purpose of this study was to identify the aspects involved in the ability of children with visual disabilities to achieve autonomous mobility. This ability depends on orientation and mobility skills. The literature on the subject shows that there is little knowledge about the topic, so this research contributes by providing information about the process of orientation in space as an essential element to achieve autonomous mobility. A multiple case study was conducted between 2015 and 2018 with six elementary students from the School for Blind Children of Guadalajara, AC (Mexico) to identify the elements involved in the ability to move autonomously and what those who do not, to determine which of them are essential to gain autonomy. Findings show that children, who can move without help in complex environments, use other of their senses: touch, smell, hearing, temperature identification, and proprioception to identify significant reference points of the environment and use them for the development of mental maps. These findings represent an advance in the understanding of visual disability at an early age and, above all, in the way to diminish impairment of orientation and autonomous mobility.

Keywords : orientation; mobility; autonomy; visual impairment; children; sensory compensation; mental maps.