Vrs

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association; Cootham; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Real Living Wage

Flex pot

Buy/sell annual leave

Discounts & cash-back

Pension scheme (employer contributions

Job summary

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is seeking a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist to support blind and partially sighted adults across East and West Sussex. This field-based role includes 35 hours per week, with a 12-month fixed-term contract.

You will design personalised action plans, deliver orientation and mobility training, advise on assistive technologies, and mentor trainees in a collaborative, inclusive environment committed to safeguarding and high standards.

Qualifications

• Recognised qualification in rehabilitation work or mobility instruction.
• Experience working with people with additional needs.
• Ability to work effectively in a team.
• Commitment to safeguarding and inclusive practice.

Responsibilities

• Design personalised action plans for clients.
• Deliver practical orientation and mobility training.
• Provide expert advice on assistive technologies and coping strategies.
• Assess individual needs and monitor progress.
• Collaborate with colleagues across departments and mentor trainees.

Skills

Mobility instruction

Teamwork

Person-centred approach

Assistive technologies

Field-based work

Education

Rehabilitation qualification

Job description

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract opportunity working 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. This is a field-based role with daily travel across East and West Sussex. You may occasionally be required to travel into Kent and surrounding areas.

Are you passionate about empowering people with visual impairments to live independently and confidently? Join us at Guide Dogs as a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS), where you'll make a real difference every day.

In this rewarding role, you'll work directly with blind and partially sighted adults, supporting them to regain or maintain independence and confidence at home, at work, and within their communities. Using a person-centred approach, you'll assess individual needs and create bespoke training programmes to help people navigate their world safely and successfully.

You'll be designing personalised action plans, delivering practical orientation and mobility training, and offering expert advice on assistive technologies and coping strategies. From assessing someone's skills to celebrating their progress, you'll be by their side throughout their journey.

You'll also collaborate with colleagues across departments and contribute to broader initiatives to enhance our reach and impact.

As a VRS, you'll mentor trainees, share your knowledge with peers, and stay up to date with the latest best practices. You'll have plenty of opportunities to develop your skills in a supportive and inclusive environment where your professional growth matters just as much as the lives you help change.

To be successful, you'll need a recognised qualification in rehabilitation work or mobility instruction and a real commitment to improving the lives of people living with sight loss. Experience working with people with additional needs and a flair for teamwork will serve you well in this varied and meaningful role.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Benefits & Perks

• 26 days annual leave. After three years of continuous employment, this increases to 28 days plus bank holidays.
• Real Living Wage Employer
• Flex pot - equal to a proportion of your annual salary to use on our wide variety of flexible benefits
• The option to buy and sell annual leave
• Discounts and cash-back scheme
• Excellent pension scheme (We will match your pension contributions plus 2% up to a maximum of 9% employer contribution)
• And lots more!

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Behind Every Guide Dog Is Someone Like You - We're passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. Bring your whole self to work regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We don't want you to 'fit' our culture, we want you to enrich it.