Teacher - Vision Impaired

About the position

The itinerant teacher for students with visual impairments travels to the students' assigned schools to provide direct and/or consultative exceptional student services related to vision loss. The teacher draws upon their knowledge of exceptionalities, specifically regarding Vision Impairment to promote independence and self advocacy of students on caseload to enable student to learn/participate in a variety of settings. The teacher is responsible for performing Functional Vision Assessments and Learning Media Assessments to determine the student's functional vision, sensory preference and cognitive ability identifying the best format for learning materials. The teacher maintains a positive and appropriate educational environment that meets the intellectual and emotional needs of the student. The cognitive levels of the students may range from significant cognitive variabilities educating in specialized programs to students gifted and talented fully included in the general education setting. The teacher will monitor academic progress of students on their caseload. They will be responsible for attending and providing input to conferences, Individual Education Programs (IEP), Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET), 504 meetings based on their area of expertise. As case manager, they are responsible for ensuring a student's individualized ESS services are implemented according to district policy. Focused efforts on increasing student self-advocacy, preparing for transition to career, college and life and understanding community resources specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with other professionals on how to implement accommodations and modifications based on IEPs for students with vision.
• Participates in MET meetings and the development of IEP for students with visual impairments.
• Provides and delivers specially designed instruction, aligned to the expanded core curriculum, consistent with student's IEP goals and objectives using strategies and methods appropriate to student's abilities in accordance to Arizona State Standards.
• Collaborates with Campus ESS facilitator to assist in articulation between feeder schools for incoming students with visual impairments.
• Assists in determining and procuring classroom equipment and materials required for the student with visual impairment to learn.
• Provides Braille, recorded/enlarged materials and tactual symbols for students as needed.
• Provides the classroom teacher with information regarding the specialized strategies needed to teach a student with visual impairments.
• Coordinates with other certified and classified staff to ensure that related services are provided in accordance to an IEP for students with visual impairments.
• Writes appropriate goals and objectives for students with visual impairments that are standards-based.
• Conducts Functional Vision Assessments and Learning Media Assessments.
• Communicates with low-vision specialists, ophthalmologists and optometrists concerning exams and updates stakeholders on developments which may impact learning.
• Utilizes and helps maintain an updated list of District assistive equipment and current location within the district.
• Ensures students receive appropriate accommodations when taking a district or state assessment.
• Keeps and maintains required records, such as progress reports, parent/student communication logs, and IEP paperwork by deadlines.
• Reviews caseload to ensure that federal and state requirements are met in accordance to timelines for annual IEP meetings.
• Acts in accordance with PXU core values to communicate regularly with parents regarding student progress.
• Documents and resolves issues related to student behavior problems and attendance.
• Follows meeting agenda to lead the annual IEP meetings for students on their caseload.
• Attends ongoing professional development and be willing to apply new evidence-based strategies to their teaching practices.
• Commits to be an active participant in a professional learning community (PLC).
• Assumes legal responsibility for the supervision of students on school property or in attendance at school-sponsored events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Possess a bachelor's degree.
• Have experience in working with students with Visual Impairments.
• Have an awareness of student needs, i.e. at-risk, ethnic, limited English proficient, exceptional.
• Demonstrate knowledge and experience in development and implementation of special services activities and related documents that conform to federal, state, and district guidelines.
• Experience in training staff to implement services and paperwork conform to federal, state, and district guidelines.

Nice-to-haves

• Current certification in Special Education.
• Endorsement for Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments.
• Dually certified in Orientation and Mobility preferred.

Benefits

• $2,000 new hire signing bonus