Job Description

SPED Teacher, Orientation And Mobility Specialist

Campus Professional Support Salary Scale Exempt 187 Days. To receive the sign-on incentive, 30 days of work must be completed. The incentive payout will occur with the regular paycheck in the month following the month in which the 30-day milestone is achieved. LISD employees who have separated from the district and then return are not eligible for additional sign-on incentive. The State Board for Educator Certification will require all first time applicants for an initial credential to be fingerprinted as part of a national criminal background check. A $49.00 fingerprinting fee will be charged once hired. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job No.: T612 FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Sr. Coordinator, Low Incidence Disabilities Pay Grade: Teacher Salary Scale + Stipend Dept./Campus: Special Education Term: 187 Days

Primary Purpose

To assist students with visual impairments to achieve maximum independence through instruction in safe, efficient travel within the home, school, and community. Services also include instruction in compensatory skills including daily living skills, self-advocacy, and recreation or leisure skills as related to orientation and mobility. Students may range in ages from birth through 21. Students may be functionally blind or have low vision. Community-based instruction is a critical component of the orientation and mobility program.

Position may be contingent upon funding in whole or in part through state or federal grants.

Major Responsibilities And Duties

• Perform orientation and mobility evaluations that focus on long-and short-term needs of the student on new referrals and on three-year re-evaluations.
• Include in the assessment report the needs and strengths of the student and an estimate of the length and frequency of service necessary to meet identified needs.
• Contribute to other appropriate portions of the IEP, such as goals and recommendations.
• Participate in ARD committee meetings on a regular basis.
• Provide consultation and support services to parents, general and special education teachers and other school staff, and students' sighted peers.
• Confer regularly with parents, classroom teachers, physical education teachers, physical therapists, and other school staff to assist in home and classroom modifications to ensure reinforcement of appropriate O&M skills that will encourage the visually impaired student to travel independently in these settings.
• Work with the teacher of visually impaired students to conduct the functional vision assessment as it relates to independent travel.
• Prepare sequential and meaningful instruction geared to the students' assessed needs, IEP/IFSP goals and objectives, functioning level, and motivation level and show written evidence of preparation as required.
• Prepare and use equipment and materials such as tactile maps, models, distance low vision devices, adaptive mobility devices, and long canes for the development of O&M skills.
• Provide orientation of new school buildings and new class schedules to students with visual impairments as needed.
• Provide assistance to students with visual impairments in understanding their attitudes and those of others concerning their visual impairments.
• Emphasize social integration with peers and provide opportunities for interaction.
• Evaluate the students' progress on an ongoing basis and keep progress notes on each student.
• Instruct students with visual impairments in skills and knowledge that enable them to travel independently based on the IEP.
• Teach visually impaired students to travel with proficiency, safety, and confidence in familiar and unfamiliar environments.
• Prepare sequential and meaningful instruction geared to the students' assessed needs, IEP/IFSP goals and objectives, functioning level, and motivation level. All LISD employees are expected to maintain an extreme degree of confidentiality by following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for student information and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for employee and student information.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None.

General Qualification Guidelines

Education/Certification/Experience

• Bachelor's degree in special education or related field. Master's Degree preferred.
• AER/Academy certification.
• Experience in teaching students with special needs.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee process and Individual Education Plan (IEP) goal setting process and implementation; curriculum and instruction; special needs of students in assigned area; and experience with school age children.
• Ability to travel between sites. All LISD employees are expected to maintain an extreme degree of confidentiality by following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for student information and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for employee and student information.

Mental/Physical/Environmental Demands The essential functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the characteristic duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and abilities noted herein; however, this is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions found in this job description.

• May be exposed to outdoor weather conditions during portions of work day.
• Needs to move about inside the classroom or campus to monitor students as necessary.
• Maintain emotional control under stress.
• Frequent standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing.
• Frequent moving of small stacks of textbooks, media equipment, desks, and other classroom equipment.
• Frequently requires lifting up to 25 pounds.
• Occasional prolonged and irregular hours.
• Ability to understand complex problems and to collaborate and explore alternative solutions.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work schedules of others on short-term basis.
• Ability to make decisions which have significant impact on the immediate work unit and monitor impact outside immediate work unit. All LISD employees are expected to maintain an extreme degree of confidentiality by following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for student information and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for employee and student information.

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