Vision Rehabilitation Specialist Senior / Traveling

Full Job Description

**Contact Information: Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Rachel Vaughan by email jobs@des.wa.gov.

Note: Standard business hours are Monday – Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM, and may occasionally require flexibility to meet the agency's needs. We promote a healthy work/life balance. Telework and a flexible schedule may be available upon supervisory approval. Extensive daily travel is required, as well as occasional overnights. The hiring team may make a hiring decision at any time. It is within your best interest to apply for this position at your earliest convenience.

DSB Relocation Allotment: DSB offers, upon approval, a relocation bonus and allotment for those staff relocating and needing to make the move to, or across the beautiful state of Washington to join our team.

Who We Are:
Washington State Department of Services for the Blind is “working together with individuals who are Blind, Deaf-Blind or Low Vision so they can flourish in their homes, communities, and workplaces.” DSB's Vocational Rehabilitation program assists individuals with visual disabilities achieve gainful employment and economic vitality through integration into the nation’s workforce, while assisting businesses with accessibility training, consultation, recruitment, and retention of qualified employees. Together, these services lead to the greater employment of qualified Blind, Deaf Blind and Low Vision individuals and more accessible and diverse businesses.
DSB is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness-qualifying employer.

About the Opportunity:
The Vision Rehabilitation Specialist - Senior Itinerant, analyzes and assesses the adaptive skills of customers with Blindness, Deaf-Blindness, and Low Vision for their activities of daily living and employment readiness. As the Rehabilitation Teaching and Orientation & Mobility subject matter expert, the Vision Rehabilitation Specialist - Senior Itinerant applies superior emerging and evolving technologies and training methods to current and future customers and employers. They recommend and help develop the curriculum and implement training methodologies to customers and employers seeking to accommodate their staff in accordance with Section 508 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This Itinerant position is unique in that it will provide intermittent training and support to customers across the state as case load and needs increase and support is necessary. This position also recruits, evaluates and manages vendors who provide specialized adaptive rehabilitation training and teaching to customers. It develops program standards related to Low Vision Evaluations, develops and monitors their budget for Low Vision kit and Adaptive Tools. It also provides adaptive education to businesses, customers, community partners, and employers.

Applicants can choose to work from one of many offices located in Washington State: Seattle, Tacoma, Lacey/Olympia, Vancouver, Spokane and Yakima.

Requirements

Some of What You will Enjoy Doing:

Conducts comprehensive, in-depth assessments of all customers who are referred for vocational rehabilitation services.

The Vision Rehabilitation Specialist - Senior Itinerant gathers information respective of the customer’s disability/disabilities, family support, educational/work history, motivation to work, adaptive skills of blindness and identification of functional limitations, attitude and acceptance of vision loss and other disabilities

Assesses and measures customer’s adjustment to vision loss, readiness for training. If issues arise, works with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and/or local VRS to address any issues or conflicts. Recommends and implements solutions, therapies, techniques, and tools to address low vision needs.

Analyzes anticipated needs for aids and appliances and skills and techniques, and determines the most effective and cost-efficient way to provide training (internally and/or externally) through discussion with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), local VRS, internal team, and customer

Facilitates the practice of “informed choice”

Makes formal recommendations in the electronic case management system

• Demonstrates skills in independently synthesizing assessment data and developing comprehensive specialized services and training unique to the individual and program as it relates to the vocational goal
• Coordinates assessment results with team, and develops plans for overlapping areas of responsibilities
• Assigned Statewide training responsibilities for areas of high volume, need, or as assigned to this position as the Itinerant
• Communicates to the customer the scope of training, competencies, and expected results of training
• Develops and communicates the objectives and completion measurements for all training
• Conducts training or arranges contract training to external vendors
• Develops the service expectations and outcome in collaboration with the Vision Rehabilitation Specialist assigned to the regional territory for services that need to be conducted by the Itinerant
• Monitors customer progress and assesses effectiveness of training, making any necessary adjustments to training plan in collaboration with local VRS
• Tests and measures customer competencies
• Serves as a statewide resource to customers, staff and community partners
• Communicates the agency’s scope and mission,
• Educates community partners and employers to an array of adaptive tools and techniques that allow for optimal activities of daily living, travel, and access to communication for potential students and employees
• Provides consultation, presentations/training, and technical assistance statewide, and nationwide, to community resource and service providers for the application and use of adaptive tools and training
• Provides support and is responsible for the onboarding, training, and development for lower-level vision rehabilitation specialist staff towards competency among the range of vision rehabilitation specialists skillsets
• Responsible for ongoing training requests by lower-level staff and requests from Regional Area Managers (RAM) for employee retention training for lower-level staff
• Support statewide vision rehabilitation specialists process review and improvement efforts
• Ability to independently perform comprehensive low vision evaluations including calculating magnification needs, lighting needs in home and workplace, glare reduction tools. Recommends solutions and alternatives as needed
• Coordinates recommendations to vocational rehabilitation participants and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC)
• Manages Low Vision Lab, overseeing the lab supplies, inventory, and makes recommendations for budget with the oversight of the Regional Area Manager
• Prepare and maintain, which includes writing and editing, current documentation of training activities and related services in the automated case management system
• Communicate and coordinate participant Orientation & Mobility/Rehabilitation Teaching needs with the team
• In the team environment, provide input toward the development of quality service standards which affect policy, best practices and invoke procedural changes
• Evaluate new or upgraded aids, appliances, techniques and technologies
• Keep current with developments in the Orientation & Mobility/Rehabilitation Teaching profession
• Meet with peer Orientation & Mobility/Rehabilitation Teaching staff on a quarterly basis and share new techniques, ideas and professional developments
• Assumes responsibility for preparing and delivering one formal peer or team training annually
• Mentor and train new staff in the areas of adaptive skills assessment, low vision assessments, DSB procedures and documentation independently without supervision

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
Required Qualifications for Vision Rehabilitation Specialist - Senior
To qualify for this specific Vision Rehabilitation Specialist - Senior level position, a candidate must possess one (1) of the following qualification combination options:

[OPTION 1]:

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in blind or vision rehabilitation, or a closely related program in rehabilitation, special education, family and consumer science education, or adaptive technology
• A current Orientation and Mobility (COMS) certification, and a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in an accredited orientation and mobility program is required

[OPTION 2]:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in blind or vision rehabilitation, or a closely related program in rehabilitation, special education, family and consumer science education, or adaptive technology; AND
• Three (3) years of paid professional experience providing services that teach adaptive skills of blindness to the blind, low vision, or deaf blind individuals, including one year of supervisory or lead experience
• A current Orientation and Mobility (COMS) certification, and a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in an accredited orientation and mobility program is required
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Effective in conducting superior work with a high degree of independence and autonomy
• Demonstrates superior documentation and qualify of work

Additional Information

How to Apply:
Interested? We would love to hear from you! Click “Apply” at the top of this page to start your application. You can save the application and come back to it, if needed. Be sure to complete the application fully to include a full work history and responses to the supplemental questions.

Please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest, describing how you meet the qualifications for this position as outlined in the job posting
• A current resume, detailing experience, and education; and
• A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information (attached or available to provide at the time of interview)

Do not attach any documents that include photos or private information (social security number, year of birth, etc.).

Please Note: By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify the information provided. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed. A resume will not substitute for completing the “duties summary” section of the online application. Please do not refer to the resume for details, or your application may be disqualified.

Background Check Notice: Prior to any new appointment into the Department of Services for the Blind, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted as a condition of employment. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Union Inclusion:
This position is included in a bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).

Opportunity for All:
The Department of Services for the Blind celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.