Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework opportunities

AWS (Alternate Work Schedules)

Job summary

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Wilkes-Barre District Office seeks an Orientation and Mobility Specialist to help blind and visually impaired individuals learn safe, independent travel skills. You will plan and deliver instruction, assess needs, and coordinate with families and community partners.

The role covers counties Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Schuylkill; telework part-time after training; AWS available; full-time with negotiable hours.

Qualifications

• Completion of Commonwealth's Orientation and Mobility program, or a degree/certificate with practicum, or ACVREP certification.
• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• Ability to perform essential job functions.
• Criminal history clearances may be required (Pennsylvania State Police, Child Abuse history, FBI).

Responsibilities

• Assessments: Interview and observe referred individuals, review reports, and confer with staff.
• Service Planning: Develop IEP-style service plans and recommend adaptive equipment.
• Skill Instruction: Teach sequences of individual and group instruction.
• Progress Evaluation: Monitor progress and adjust instruction for success.
• Supportive Counseling: Guide individuals and families in using mobility skills.

Skills

Assessments

Service planning

Instruction

Counseling

Communication

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in Orientation and Mobility

Certificate with practicum in Orientation and Mobility

ACVREP Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Job description

THE POSITION

As an Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the Bureau of Blindness & Visual Services, you will help blind and visually impaired people learn the skills they need to travel through their lives with confidence. Work focuses on planning and providing instruction that empowers people to live safely and independently while promoting cultural awareness and educational background amongst community partners, professionals, and the families of people we serve.

This position is part of the Wilkes-Barre District Office; however, the caseload area may cover the following counties: Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

• Assessments: Interview and observe individuals who are referred for services, review reports, and confer with staff to fully understand each person’s needs and motivation
• Service Planning: Develop individual service plans for instruction, provide further referrals, and recommend adaptive equipment based on each person’s individual needs, input, and circumstances
• Skill Instruction: Teach sequences of individualized and group instruction to provide experience-based learning and supervised practice
• Progress Evaluation: Monitor achievement and adjust instruction to support individual success
• Supportive Counseling: Provide guidance to individuals and families to help them understand and utilize mobility skills, options, and opportunities

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description .

Work Schedule and Additional Information

• Full-time employment
• Work hours are negotiable - 7.5 hour workday and lunch period is 30 minutes or 60 minutes depending on work hours. The position eligible for Alternate Work Schedules (AWS).
• Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, upon successful completion of the training period. In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania. If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Wilkes-Barre. This location may be flexible depending on the selected candidate. The ability to telework is subject to change at any time. Additional details may be provided during the interview.
• Salary:In some cases, the starting salary may be non-negotiable.
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

Required Experience, Training & Eligibility

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements

• Successful completion of the commonwealth's Orientation and Mobility Intern program; or
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree or certificate from an approved college or university program in orientation and mobility that includes a practicum; or
• Possession of an active Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist certificate issued by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP).

Other Requirements

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.
  • Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. 7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.