Outreach Constultant For Students With Visual Impairments

The Opportunity: Job Overview

The purpose of this job is to promote appropriate educational practices and interventions for children who are blind or visually impaired in Central Montana. This position provides consultation and technical assistance to education professionals, families, and other service providers about service options, resources and best practices as they relate to educating children who are blind or visually impaired.

Core Impact Areas

Provide Classroom Support, Consultation, and Technical Assistance 20%

• Improve access to instruction and environment by providing recommendations to school staff, assists in procurement of adaptive materials and equipment including needed technology and large print and braille texts, troubleshoots various issues associated with assistive and adaptive technology, works with district and company tech people to troubleshoot technology issues, conducts necessary trainings with small groups and school wide staff.

Early Childhood Education and Intervention 20%

• Collaborates with Part C to participate in intake activities, provides advising and instruction to families of children who are aged birth to three regarding child development and meeting developmental goals and other needs of children who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind, establishes and monitors Family Advisor program including recruitment, training, mentoring, reporting, approving invoices, and general oversight.

Assessment and Evaluation (specific to Consultants of the Visually Impaired) 10%

• Assists in obtaining and interpreting eye reports from doctors, performs Functional Vision Assessments and Learning Media Assessments to describe current levels of vision, recommend appropriate instructional accommodations, and to identify and recommend appropriate reading materials for visual access, conducts ongoing braille assessments, supports braille instruction teams for both pre-braille and braille readers, Assesses student keyboarding skills and supports identifying magnification needs.

Extension Programs and Other Services 15%

• Assists in the planning, facilitation, and recruitment of families and students to attend annual Family Learning Weekends, Campus Enrichment Weekends, Summer Skills Camp, and works with the MSDB Admissions Coordinator in facilitating enrollment of students who can be appropriately served by MSDB's on-campus programs.

Office Duties and Organization 10%

• Maintains and manages student files and data within a centralized data system, completes follow-up reports, recommendations, phone contacts, and/or emails in a timely manner, organizes and facilitates issue-specific training opportunities for students, prepares reports as required or requested, develops relationships and maintains contacts with office/school/service agencies via email and other technologies, phone contacts and maintains a record of those contacts, completes and maintains annual accounting of students served on caseload and maintains annual American Printing House accounting.

Who You Are (Qualifications)

Education & Experience:

• Required: Bachelor's or higher degree in Special Education or Education from an accredited college or university.

• Preferred: Bachelor's or higher degree with emphasis in Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments from an accredited college or university.

• Preferred: Two years of classroom experience working with students who have disabilities professional experience as a TVI working in schools with school-age students, which has included working with students with blindness/visual impairment and multiple disabilities.

• Preferred: Persons working toward a TSVI endorsement with 1-2 years to complete.

• Out of state applicants must have the ability to obtain Montana Teaching Licensure.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Communication: Proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) or a willingness to reach target proficiency levels to foster cooperative relationships with students and staff.

• Leadership: Ability to handle controversy objectively, manage a diverse team, and maintain effective relationships with families and stakeholders.

• Technical: Understanding of basic employment law.

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws pertaining to students with visual impairments.

• Be able to effectively explain vision specific concepts, principles and methodology to teams.

• Knowledge of developmental milestones of children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.

• Know and effectively communicate the areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC).

• Understand the issues of low incidence disabilities and the possible implications on student learning.

• Knowledge of vision related resources and equipment to effectively support student success.

• Know and effectively communicate the roles of MSDB Outreach, TVI, O&Ms providers to student teams.

• How to monitor and assess functional vision and student use of vision utilizing eye reports and knowledge of eye conditions.

Demonstrated ability to:

• Provide effective knowledge and resources for blind and visually impaired.

• Collaborate and communicate effectively with co-workers, families, school district staff and family support specialists in both written and verbal forms.

• Coordinate events and in-services to meet caseload needs.

• Maintain database and student records.

• Write professional reports reflecting information collected through observation and evaluation.

• Assess the effectiveness of programs with the director by communication of needs or support to resolve obstacles.

• Use of laptop, ipad, iphone, email, virtual meeting platforms, and applications related to job duties.

• Understand and follow oral and/or written directions.