Blog Post; June 2026

Open letter to OMAA Membership and Stakeholders

Re: Inclusion of Orientation and Mobility within the NDIA Pricing Schedule for 2026-2027.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has released the pricing schedule for 2026-2027 which now lists orientation and mobility as a specific support item. As of 1 July 2026, Registered Orientation and Mobility Specialists within Australia will claim under the new support items. The OMAA is celebrating this inclusion and the hard work of so many people throughout the last 13 years. Without all of you, this would not have been achieved so thank you from the OMAA.

Click here to read the letter in full.

The OMAA has contacted the Economics and Pricing Branch of the NDIA to discuss the new hourly rate. We will keep you updated on that progress.

Vickie Anderson ROMSA COMS

OMAA President

 

Meet SeeWay – free lifestyle support for Australians living with low vision

Many Australians are living with permanent vision changes, but don’t qualify for formal support or government funded services. SeeWay, an initiative of Guide Dogs, was created to help fill the gap people experiencing earlier to moderate vision loss – who may not yet require one-on-one services but are looking for reliable information, practical advice, and guidance as they adjust to changes in their vision. SeeWay offers:

  • Practical, easy-to-read information across broad ranging topics, such as vision, driving, technology, employment & transport
  • Guidance on the support ecosystem: who provides what, and how to connect
  • Mental wellbeing support including a professional bulk billed counselling service
  • Online skills training to assist people to make the most of the built-in accessibility features of their device and be more confident online
  • Ability to register, return later, and share articles with family

SeeWay is a free, national service for those navigating permanent changes in their vision, as well as their family, friends and support network. No formal referral is required. Clients can visit seeway.com.au or call 1800 SEE WAY (733 92) to begin their support journey. Download the SeeWay brochure to share with your clients.

O&M Specialists can also reach out to a SeeWay Development Manager to learn more and answer your questions:

Kaye Jones
kayej@guidedogsvictoria.com.au
0459 977 518

Michael Angerame
mangerame@seeway.com.au
0499 565 921

 

How to connect your client to Guide Dogs NSW O&Ms on Be My Eyes!  

Have you had times with your clients that they just needed some live visual assistance to help solve a problem while traveling and thought, if only they could ring an O&M and ask for a description in this case? Well now, your clients have access to a free option through the Be My Eyes app to do just that! Guide Dogs NSW/ACT (GDN) has O&Ms a phone call away for visual descriptions in the service directory tab of the app. This service is available to people who are blind or have low vision, anywhere in Australia, during working hours (9 am to 5 pm AEST).

To use the service, they’ll need:

  • A smartphone
  • The Be My Eyes app
  • Agree to the GDN Safety Guidelines

The GDN team have listed the below the steps on how to find us in the app and how to call when your client needs support.

Step 1: Get the Be My Eyes app

Download the Be My Eyes app to your device. If you need help downloading or setting it up, visit the Getting Started with Be My Eyes page.

Step 2: Set Guide Dogs as a favourite service.

To make it easier to find Guide Dogs visual assistance, set ‘Guide Dogs NSW/ACT – Assistance Out and About’ as a favourite in the ‘Service Directory’.

Open the Be My Eyes app.

Select the third tab at the bottom of the screen: ‘Service Directory’.

  • Choose ‘Blindness Organisations’
  • Select ‘Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’
  • Select ‘Guide Dogs – Assistance Out and About’
  • Select ‘Add to favourites’

To add ‘Guide Dogs – General Assistance’ as a favourite, simply repeat the same steps and select that option.

Step 3: Call Guide Dogs

Once added to your favourites, scroll down until you see ‘Call Guide Dogs – Assistance Out and About’, then select the button to connect with us.

If your clients use Meta smart glasses, you can connect directly to the option by saying: “Hey Meta, Be My Eyes with Guide Dogs – Assistance Out and About.”

GDN also offer a general assistance option that has supported people with low vision or blindness through Be My Eyes app to complete tasks such as:

  • Differentiating between moisturiser and sunscreen bottles
  • Selecting a jumper and checking there are no marks or stains on it
  • Checking an expiry date on a sauce bottle
  • Locating tea in a tea box and confirming the type

Kelly Prentice

Service Impact and Improvement Coordinator, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT

 

OMAA Professional Development Committee Survey 2026

The PDC Committee would love to hear from as many members as possible to better understand how you access professional development information, which OMAA PDC committee approved opportunities you’ve participated in, and suggestions for opportunities you would like to see in future. Please click here to complete this year’s survey – your feedback is important to us!

 

CPD Opportunities

Orientation and Mobility Masterclass Series 2026

This online series has a specific focus on technology in the field of O&M and aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the resources currently available. This series will contribute 4 PD hours towards COMS re-certification with ACVREP as it addresses the Core Domains of the OMAA O&M Framework.

Sessions include:

  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) for learners who are blind and low vision (Chris Tabb)
  • Accessible Maps (Chris Tabb)
  • Be My Eyes (Hans Jorgen Wiberg)
  • GPS Apps (Chris Tabb)
  • Plus two other sessions to be confirmed.

Note that you don’t need to attend live. You can sign up for Digital Access and watch the recordings in your own time. More details can be found on the NextSense website.

 

Upcoming Conferences

You can find other PD opportunities at the OMAA website.

Are you hosting or attending an upcoming CPD event? Would you like to be able to earn points towards ACVREP recertification at the same time? Click here to find out how you can register your event.

 

Community of Practice Meetings

On 19 May our members enjoyed another informative CoP Meeting focussing on the psychosocial impacts of vision loss for clients and their families, as well as pathways for accessing mental health supports via Seeway and Medicare. If you weren’t able to attend, the recording is now available on the CoP Meetings webpage.

The next CoP Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 18 August 2026, 1.30pm – 3.00pm (AEST) – please check back for more details soon.

 

Job Vacancies

Have you looked at the Job Vacancies page on the OMAA website recently? You’ll find position vacancies listed for various agencies and locations across Australasia so remember to check it out. One current offering is an opportunity for an O&M Specialist at Guide Dogs Queensland.

 

Other News

  • Bricks for the Blind is a non-profit organisation that brings the joy of building LEGO® sets to blind people. By following their free Text-based Building Instructions, people with visual impairments can build LEGO sets and enjoy hours of relaxation, independence, and empowerment.
  • Huge NDIS changes announced by Mark Butler, Minister for Health, Ageing, Disability and the NDIS, with 160,000 people expected to be removed from the Scheme by 2030. Eligibility rules are also expected to be tightened. You can read Minister Butler’s National Press Club address in full here.
  • Australia has eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of preventable blindness, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed.
  • Remember to log in to your ACVREP Account to access your free copies of essential professional resources – the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) and the Journal of Special Education.

  

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