Rob and Catherine Wall Emerson are both orientation and mobility specialists, teaching in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies at Western Michigan University. Rob earned a Ph.D. in education and human development with a specialization in orientation and mobility from Vanderbilt University in 1999. Catherine, after earning a master of education in educational psychology from McGill University in Montreal in 1997, went on to earn a graduate diploma from Mohawk College in Ontario as an orientation and mobility instructor. In 2002, she earned her rehabilitative services credentials from San Francisco State University.
Rob has been involved in extensive research on mobility issues for people with visual impairments. He has conducted studies on the accessibility of roundabouts and channelized right-turn lanes, the accessibility of pedestrian signals, the acoustics involved in blind navigation, the biomechanics of long-cane use in expert travelers, and the effect of hybrid or quiet vehicles on the performance of orientation and mobility tasks by people with visual impairments. He has also conducted research on the availability of Braille transcribers, Braille production methodology and systems, overall Braille literacy, and technology for the description of visual media for students with visual impairments.
Catherine has developed curricula and a number of courses in orientation and mobility, including a course in eye anatomy and diseases, and curricula for apprentice guide-dog instructors. She has also given numerous presentations on the subject of developing guide-dog mobility instructors. Additionally, she has taught classes in long-cane travel, electronic travel aids, and the BrailleNote GPS. In California and Oregon, Catherine served as the chair of committees to assess the accessibility of campuses, and assisted the public works department of two counties regarding accessibility issues. She has assisted in data collection and assessment protocols for several research projects.
Catherine and Rob met at the International Mobility Conference in South Africa in 2003. They’ve been married since 2005. Together, they like to travel, cook, hike, and work on home renovations. They have a one-year-old daughter.