Profiling guide dog handlers to support guide dog matching decisions.

PURPOSE: This Australian study piloted a new measure of Orientation and Mobility to better understand the functional mobility of guide dog handlers with low vision or blindness. It is expected that this measure can be used to better match guide dogs to their handlers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The new Orientation and Mobility Outcomes tool scores a client in Stable/Familiar and Dynamic/Unfamiliar conditions, also considering Travel-Related Wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 guide dog handlers, during which travel skills were co-rated with an interviewer.

RESULTS: A cluster analysis of the Orientation and Mobility Outcomes data identified four mobility styles: intrepid explorers, social navigators, independent roamers and homebodies. The differences between these clusters had more to do with mental mapping skills than level of vision, and different guide dog characteristics were needed to support the travel styles identified for each cluster.

CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the importance of the Orientation and Mobility Outcomes tool as a sensitive, person-centred measure of the impact of Orientation and Mobility and guide dog training. In particular, the four mobility clusters provide a new perspective on matching guide dogs with clients, also suggesting the need for a more personalised look at the guide dog training process. Implications for Rehabilitation Orientation and Mobility Outcomes data seem precise enough to support and inform the process of matching guide dogs to handlers. Uniform results cannot be expected from guide dog mobility in handlers - age, stage of life, health and spatial cognition impact the competence and travel style of guide dog handlers, whereas vision is less important. Sharing the work of visual interpretation and decision making with a guide dog makes independent travel more possible. Valuable dog characteristics that are specific to handler requirements might be bred or trained from puppy raising onwards, creating a more diverse pool of dogs to draw upon.