About Us…

Hello, my name is Kim Pilic. I’m a passionate Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Specialist, as well as being the Founder and Director of Forward Steps Mobility.

I love working as an Independent O&M, in addition to providing specialised Blindness and Low Vision Disability Support Services. My heart is the operational driving force behind why I do what I do, with passion and purpose. I have a heart for people and love working with them, counting it a privilege to journey alongside, in order to impact their lives in positive, fruitful ways. I love making a difference in people’s lives by equipping, empowering and supporting their journey to independence; it’s a matter of the heart. Seeing people through the eyes of my heart shapes and influences a deep sense of connected understanding, compassion and empathy, subsequently fostering an authentic, interpersonal service engagement. I also hold a tenacious standpoint around social equity for people who are blind or have low vision.

I offer extensive experience and knowledge concerning blindness and low vision, with 30 years of dedicated service involvement within the Orientation and Mobility (O&M) profession. Needless to say, it’s a joyful privilege providing quality services to adults and children alike, across the life-spectrum. I relish opportunities to work alongside white cane travellers, in addition to dog guide handlers and their working dogs. Irrespective of cane or canine, the importance of being a genuine and caring O&M Specialist is integral to working effectively with people. This includes individuals experiencing dual sensory loss, (Deafblind), as well as multiple disabilities. I ascribe my service successes in part to collaborative, tailored, creative, strengths-based and laterally thinking approaches, as well as reciprocal learning. My O&M philosophical paradigm has always been one of reciprocal learning from every individual receiving services. That being said, it’s both satisfying and humbling to create quality service outcomes, particularly in view of client satisfaction. It’s always a privileged entrustment to provide O&M services to all individuals who experience varying degrees of blindness or low vision.

As an O&M Specialist, I never stop learning, particularly on the job. Of course, learning and qualifications are also shaped through relevant academia. On that note, my qualifications include a Diploma of Disability Work; Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies; Graduate Diploma in Orientation & Mobility (O&M); and, a Master’s Degree in Human Services, Disability Studies.

Pursuing further postgraduate studies in recent years, including a Master’s degree, established deeper insights into the theoretical, philosophical and lived experience worldviews and notions of disability. Acquiring an increased knowledge subsequently broadened my scope of practice around disability service provision, positioning me as a uniquely qualified Independent O&M Specialist. My scope of professional practice has now broadened to include not only O&M services, but also social and recreational activities, individual community support, and short getaways. In essence, and in this season, the NDIS has enabled me to step into a unique gap, offering specialised services specifically for people who are blind or have low vision.

I’m deeply thankful, with gratitude of heart, to walk this earth doing what I love, loving what I do, and giving my whole heart to it in order to make a difference in the lives of others. As an O&M Specialist, but foremost as a caring human being, connecting with other people in the tapestry of life truly is a personal and professional privilege, as well as being a humbling experience. I am truly blessed! My heart’s desire is to be a blessing in some way, shape or form to others, by: speaking words that edify and encourage them; and, helping, through personable, practical and restorative actions that promote their independence, subsequently fostering social, recreational, vocational and spiritual inclusion, through an empowering sphere of O&M service provision.