NOMC Certification
Overview
The National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) has established rigorous standards for certifying competent professionals who teach orientation and mobility skills using Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) methods and principles. Successful applicants who earn the designation of National Orientation and Mobility Certificant (NOMC) are entitled to all rights and responsibilities therein as long as he or she maintains active certification status and upholds the NBPCB Code of Professional Ethics.
The methods, principles, and practices that comprise the NBPCB certification process are derived from the Consumer-Based Model of Rehabilitation (CBMR). This model has been built from the collective knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of the organized blind who have achieved economic, social, and community integration. Grounded in CBMR principles, the NOMC certification examination encompasses the domains of knowledge foundational to Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) - the nomenclature first coined to describe the techniques employed by blind adults and which are equally effective for sighted instructors. All elements of eligibility, verification of teaching competency, aspects of the written and performance examination, and continuing education are consistent with CBMR principles and SDCT methods.
The National Orientation and Mobility Certification process is based on the methods and principles underlying SDCT, which holds that successful blind persons must master nonvisual skills for independent living, learn problem solving strategies to confront societal and environmental ambiguities and must come to understand their own internalized attitudes - as well as public attitudes - about blindness and the effect that such attitudes have on personal expectations and aspirations. Consequently, the NBPCB holds as a high standard for its certificants the ability for blindness professionals to successfully demonstrate mastery of Structured Discovery Cane Travel skills and principles.
Consistent with that mission, the National Orientation and Mobility Certification process is designed to evaluate three specific areas of professional standards, including: (1) the applicant's ability to demonstrate personal mastery of the skills he/she is trained to teach, (i.e., nonvisual cane travel skills); (2) to articulate the principles, methods, and body of knowledge fundamental to Structured Discovery Cane Travel; and (3) to demonstrate the provision of competent instruction to blind students across the life spectrum using structured discovery methods and principles.
Terms You Should Know
CBMR: Consumer Based Model of Rehabilitation refers to the collective knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of the organized blind who have achieved economic, social, and community integration.
NBPCB: Refers to the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, which is the body responsible for all certification activities, policies, and decisions.
NOMC: National Orientation and Mobility Certification refers to the credential awarded to individuals who successfully demonstrate competent mastery of Structured Discovery Cane Travel methods and principles.
NOMC: National Orientation and Mobility Certificant refers to the title awarded to certified mobility instructors, and which affords them with all rights and responsibilities therein.
NOMCT: National Orientation and Mobility Certified Trainer refers to a 12-15 member committee of individuals who are: (1) valid holders of the NOMC credential; (2) are appointed by the NBPCB board; (3) are responsible for conducting certification examinations and proctoring; (4) conduct NBPCB sponsored training and education; and (5) are the only individuals authorized to supervise NOMC internships and apprenticeships.
SDCT: Structured Discovery Cane Travel refers to the specific branch of orientation and mobility instruction that is based on CBMR principles, and is grounded in: (1) Nonvisual instruction; (2) cognitive problem solving; and (3) concerted strategies for clarifying attitudes and raising expectations surrounding blindness.