Vision Rehabilitation Therapist / Orientation & Mobility Specialist

Job Title

Provides specialized rehabilitation teaching as well as orientation and mobility to children and adult consumers who are blind and visually impaired, enabling them to achieve their highest level of functioning.

General Requirements

Requires a high level of professionalism, confidentiality, communication, teamwork, creativity, problem solving, planning, and organizational skills. Must have empathy, sensitivity, flexibility, and ability to get along well with a wide variety of personalities. Requires excellent teaching skills and overall knowledge of community resources.

Key Job Elements

Conducts comprehensive rehabilitation teaching and orientation and mobility evaluations and assessments and develops and implements personalized lesson plans.

Provides direct rehabilitation teaching instruction to adults and children, including personal care management, communication, home management, leisure activities, and technology.

Effectively teaches orientation and mobility in a timely manner including indoor mobility, cane skills, outdoor travel, public transportation, protective techniques, and sighted guide. Instruction also includes body and environmental concepts.

Instructs consumers in use of low vision aids and adaptive equipment.

Provides consultative services to other departments as it pertains to building expansion, assessing environments for employee safety, ease of travel, and other O&M related concerns.

Maintains a caseload of adults and children, overseeing social casework, rehab services, and referrals to other agencies.

Assists in the development and implementation of Adaptive Sports and Recreational programs for children and adults.

Assists in the implementation of children specific programming including camps, pre-vocational and vocational programs.

Completes all required documentation in a timely manner.

Consults, refers, and networks with primary care givers, families, school districts, NYSCB/ACCESS-VR personnel, associated professionals, and staff.

Conducts community presentations and representation at meetings as assigned.

Maintains awareness of current academic material and research. Continues professional development in rehabilitation field.

Adapts to change and completes other duties as assigned.

Consistently achieves annual performance objectives.

Communication Skills

Must have ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from consumers, professionals and the general public. Must be able to write effective plans, reports, and correspondence. Must have ability to provide visual cues according to consumers visual status. Must have excellent listening skills and the ability to develop confidence and self-esteem.

Computer/Technical Skills

Must possess basic computer skills and grade I and grade II Braille skills. Must be knowledgeable and remain current with low vision aids and adaptive equipment. Must be knowledgeable in map development and reading, orthopedic prosthetic and cane technique. Must be willing to learn new technology.

Reasoning Ability

Must have ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Must be able to recognize the consumers status in relationship to their level of acceptance and respond accordingly. Must maintain a strict adherence to mission statement and core values.

Physical Demands

Frequently required to talk, hear, stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, stoop and kneel. Occasionally must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Position requires stamina for indoor/outdoor training. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the key job elements.

Work Environment

Extensive travel required. Instruction may occur in a variety of environments including consumers home or school, office, or the community.

Education and/or Experience

Masters degree in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy and Orientation and Mobility, plus one year of experience in the human services field. Bachelors Degree in field of Human Services. ACVREP certification preferred. Must meet Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, Dept. of Special Education, and Dept. of Health personnel standards. Experience with adaptive sports and recreation and childrens recreational programming a plus.