Reports To: Director of Special Education

Position Purpose:

• Has primary responsibility for specialized instruction and services required to meet the unique educational needs of his/her students with visual impairment, ages 3-21.
• Possesses the skills and abilities necessary to provide and coordinate this specialized instruction.
• Prepares sequential and meaningful instruction geared to the student's assessed needs, IEP goals and objectives, functioning, and motivational levels.
• Maintains ongoing contact with parents to assist them in the development of a realistic understanding of their child's abilities, progress, and future goals.
• Provide both direct and indirect instruction to students with visual impairments.
• Monitors students' progress in academic subjects and provide instruction in compensatory skills as needed in the areas the students may have difficulty with as a result of the visual impairment.
• Consults regularly with the classroom teacher, other regular and special education personnel, parents, and others to coordinate programs and services for the visually impaired student.
• Attends IEP meetings and required team meetings.
• Assists the site administrator and teachers in making environmental adjustments for the student in the school.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Elementary/Secondary/Special Education
• Has a Master's Degree in Special Education in Visual Impairment or a Master's Degree in Special Education and completed the teaching endorsement for Teaching the Blind & Visually Impaired
• Has a valid Kansas State Certification as Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Proficient in Literary and Nemeth Braille Codes
• Technology literate
• Ability to travel between sites
• ESOL endorsement preferred

Physical/Emotional Requirements: (The incumbent may be required to use the following skills and abilities during any part of the working day.) While performing the duties of this job, the employee is traveling to each of the campuses within the district to provide instruction and consultation for students with visual impairments. The employee is frequently required to sit, talk, hear, stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include near vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is required to interact with staff and to meet demands from several people.

Performance Responsibilities:

• Provide direct instruction in Braille.
• Translate print into Braille using Duxbury Braille Translation Program.
• Conduct functional vision/learning media assessments and produces written reports.
• Provide instruction in the development and maintenance of skills to meet the student's unique educational needs as mentioned in the Expanded Core Curriculum.
• Schedule time efficiently for assessment, instruction, planning, preparation of materials, travel, and conferences with relevant school and other key individuals.
• Assure that large-type or Braille texts, supplementary materials, educational, aids, and equipment needed by the student with visual impairment, and the classroom teacher, are provided in a timely manner to ensure the student's maximum participation in all classroom activities (appropriate educational materials may be prepared or adapted by the Teacher of the VI, or they may be obtained from educational, clerical, or transcriber services.)
• Assist the student, parents, special and general education personnel, and the student's sighted peers in:
• understanding the unique educational needs and learning characteristics of visually impaired students;
• becoming aware of services and support available from local programs for visually impaired students;
• acquiring information regarding local, state, and national resources for the education of visually impaired students;
• interpreting the visually impaired student's specific eye condition, the educational implications of the visual impairment, and the results of functional vision and learning media assessments.
• Provide assistance to the classroom teacher in academic subjects and activities of the classroom that, as a direct result of the student's visual impairment, require adaptation for the student.
• Share responsibility with classroom teachers in the identification of instructional areas in which the student requires assistance.
• Provide in-service training programs for school personnel and students, and education for parents regarding the needs of visually impaired students and adaptations, programs, and services for these students.

Terms of Employment:

9 months; salary and work year to be determined by the Board of Education.

Evaluation:

Performance of this position will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board policy on evaluation of Support Service Personnel.

Significant associations:

The performance responsibilities are not limited to those outlined in this description and may include any other responsibilities as assigned by the administrator/supervisor.