Basic Spanish for Orientation and Mobility: A Phrase Book and Dictionary. (2024)

Basic Spanish for Orientation and Mobility: A Phrase Book andDictionary, Brenda J. Naimy and Matthew W. Hogel, Editors. New York: AFBPress, 2014, 223 pp. Paperback, $29.95; e-book, $20. 95; online, $18.00.

Reviewed by Maya Delgado Greenberg In an increasinglyinternationally connected world, orientation and mobility (O&M)specialists are sometimes called upon to teach travel skills to clientswhose first language is Spanish. An estimated 13% of the United Statespopulation speaks primarily Spanish, and 5.5% have limited Englishskills (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). This prevalence of Spanish speakersprovides a unique challenge, since not all O&M instructors aremultilingual, and it is expensive to hire qualified translators. Inaddition, the language used by the field of O&M is filled withtechnical terms and phrases that can be challenging to accuratelytranslate.

I remember the first O&M lesson I taught to a Spanish-speakingstudent-a 5-year-old girl named Carla (a pseudonym) who was nervouslyclutching her mother's hand. "Hi. My name is Maya," Isaid, "I am your new orientation and mobility specialist." Herlittle face was blank and unresponsive, and she appeared frightened atthe prospect of a new teacher speaking an unfamiliar language."Hola. Me llamo Maya. Soy tu nueva especialista de orientacion ymovilidad," I said, repeating myself in Spanish this time. A shysmile spread across her face. Spanish opened the door to my youngstudent, and helped Carla to learn to trust me.

As a native English speaker with a grasp of conversational Spanish,I sometimes found myself struggling to correctly describe O&Mskills, such as specific cane techniques, to Carla. The 2014 release ofBasic Spanish for Orientation and Mobility: A Phrase Book andDictionary, edited by Matthew W. Hogel and Brenda J. Naimy, meets thisneed. The book is well designed and easy to use, with numerous practicalphrases and in-depth descriptions of techniques. The tone of the book isboth informal, yet professional, a sign of excellent authors andeditors.

This versatile reference guide is useful for O&M specialists,their clients, and even translators. O&M specialists might enlargeportions of the text for clients with low vision or provide it to theirfamily members so they can reference it. Practitioners could share thebook with translators before O&M lesson times to introduce newjargon and to establish accurate and consistent descriptions oftechniques. O&M specialists that are unfamiliar with Spanish couldread the section on basic pronunciation, then read the text verbatim totheir clients during O&M lessons. For teachers with Spanish skills,the book could be used as a resource to brush up on technical terms.

THE CHAPTERS

The book includes multiple sections, including the followingchapters that cover a comprehensive overview of basic O&M skills:Basic skills, Canes and Cane Techniques, Residential Travel, BusinessTravel, Using Public Transit, and Skills for Travelers with Low Vision.The descriptions of O&M techniques that these chapters contain areclear and easy to understand in both English and Spanish. The chaptersall begin with "at a glance" sections, which include brieflists of all the topics the chapters will cover. Each "at aglance" section is then followed by columns that list, side byside, bulleted phrases and paragraphs of specific techniques andterminology, one in English, the other in Spanish. Each section hasbolded and highlighted topics, so it is easy to quickly scan the pageand locate the information you are looking for. It is simple to flipthrough and find each section, as the chapter name is at the top of eachpage.

The primary limitation in the chapters is a lack of any pictures ordiagrams to demonstrate the techniques described in the text. It islogical that images may have been omitted to keep the book short and,therefore, easily portable. However, photographs that demonstrate thetechniques would have been helpful additions, especially when the textis shared with clients, their family members, or translators. The use ofpictures to demonstrate concepts is a proven technique to helpindividuals who are learning the English language to increase theirvocabulary (Facella, Rampino, & Shea, 2005).

Although the chapters do an excellent job of covering basic O&Mtechniques, the book could be even more inclusive. For example, it doesnot have a section on commonly used O&M technologies. A section thatreferences such technology-GPS (Global Positioning System) andultrasonic object detectors like the Miniguide, for example- andincludes short descriptions and some basic phrases like "push thebutton on the right side" could prove helpful to many O&Mspecialists in the field.

APPENDICES AND DICTIONARIES

The book includes three appendices that contain succincttranslations of phrases and key words. The first-Vision, Disability, andMedical Terminology-contains helpful translations that include commonmedical conditions, aids and devices, eye conditions, and auditoryskills. The Concept Development appendix lists commonly used (andassessed) concepts such as body concepts; positional, directional, andspatial concepts; orientation concepts; and time concepts, in additionto many others. For people who have never attempted to speak Spanishbefore, Appendix C, A Brief Guide to Spanish, covers pronunciation andgrammatical rules.

After the appendices are the English/Spanish and Spanish/Englishdictionaries, basic lists of O&M-specific terms. Individuals seekinga fully comprehensive list of Spanish words might find a generalEnglish/Spanish dictionary to be a helpful supplement. Although thedictionaries are great tools, many O&M specialists might find itdifficult to juggle a print book along with all the other equipmentneeded while traveling on the streets alongside clients. For thisreason, some people may prefer to purchase the e-book version of thetext, which can be accessed via cellular telephone (or"smartphone") and searched for key terms. In addition, I wishthere was also a companion smartphone application (app), since an evenmore streamlined electronic tool that could allow an individual toefficiently find the correct Spanish term while traveling would be veryhelpful. An app could also be a possible way to include illustrations orpictures of techniques without causing the print version of the book tobe longer and heavier.

IN CONCLUSION

Basic Spanish for Orientation and Mobility: A Phrase Book andDictionary is a well-organized, easy-to-use reference guide fororientation and mobility specialists. It is designed to be useful to awide range of people: translators, instructors with rudimentary or noSpanish experience whatsoever, as well as native Spanish speakers.Whether you are a seasoned teacher or a recent graduate just beginningyour career, this book is a "must-have" addition to anyO&M Specialist's library.

REFERENCES

Facella, M. A., Rampino, K. M., & Shea, E. K. (2005). Effectiveteaching strategies for English language learners. Bilingual ResearchJournal, 29(1), 209-221.

U.S. Census. (2014). American Community survey (using AmericanFactFinder). Retrieved July 7, 2014, from http://factfinder2.census.gov

Maya Delgado Greenberg, M.A., COMS, orientation and mobilityspecialist and lecturer, San Francisco State University, Department ofSpecial Education, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132,e-mail: <[emailprotected]>.