Davis County resident Shannon Brown and her adopted daughter Kalinka share a special connection and perspective. Kalinka was born with congenital glaucoma and after a long, hard fight for vision is now completely blind, and her mother is an Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the Utah School for the Blind, USB. 

“Although it has been difficult for Kalinka to lose her residual vision, she has continued to face each day with an I-Can-Do attitude,” Brown said. This type of attitude and resilience is just what Brown hopes to instill in the students she works with. 

“When I had decided to go into education, I thought I would become a teacher in elementary education,” Brown said. During that time, she had to do some practicum work in special education and completed the practicum at the School for the Blind and ended up staying. “I felt like I found my nitch in education,” she said. Brown has worked as a classroom teacher, an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments serving surrounding districts, and now in her position as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist.  

In her current position Brown teaches students with vision loss how to navigate their schools, neighborhoods, and community. 

“Teaching Orientation and Mobility is like no other area of teaching,” Brown said.  “It's a unique area as I get to see another side of my students away from the classroom and the academics.” She said she is most excited when she sees students use strategies needed to successfully navigate their world, when they use skills needed to travel safely, and when she observes the independence that develops through instruction taught in Orientation and Mobility. “The best part is watching my student's confidence grow as they learn to trust their abilities to conquer the world one step at a time,” she said. 

Kalinka began at USB where she is viewed as a success story for her “bravery, positive energy, strength, and enthusiasm.” She now attends her neighborhood school and receives vision services through the district and Orientation and Mobility instruction from the Blind School. “She has been heard on many occasions stating that she doesn’t have a disability, she just can’t see,” her mother said. 

Brown provides Orientation and Mobility services within Davis County including charter and district schools. 

“I love my job and the students and families I get to work with. Every student has helped me learn and grow. Adventure awaits with each day of teaching Orientation and Mobility,” she said. For more information on services and programs you can follow The Utah School for the Blind whose motto is “Our Vision Has No Limits” on their social media pages and at usdb.org.