Job Openings

Perkins School for the Blind

02/09/2023

Our Perkins Story

If you’re looking for a chance to change the world for children and young adults with multiple disabilities and visual impairments, Perkins School for the Blind has opportunities for you.

As an organization, we encourage our employees across all departments to:

• Think Courageously: Pave the way for change. Be creative, curious & resilient. Challenge yourself to try, fail and try again. Think big and embrace unconventional approaches.
• Take Ownership: Don’t wait, initiate. Invest fully in your work. Own your choices. Deliver results. Have a bias for action and a dedication to quality.
•  Be Collaborative: Create a diverse and inclusive community. Foster positive relationships. Communicate openly & respectfully. Build trust and operate with integrity. Be willing to disagree, commit and keep moving.

About the Role:

The TVI, using a family centered practice provides direct and consultative vision services to infants and toddlers (ages 0-3) and to their parents in their homes and within the community. Some of the children may have multiple disabilities. The teacher travels in the community to homes and is responsible for providing vision services, helping the family to understand vision loss and its impact on development, scheduling and maintaining communications among team members from Early Intervention as well as completing all paperwork associated with evaluations, , reports, and billing. 

Responsibilities include: 

• Reads records, observes and assesses children, ages 0-3, consult with other Early Interventionists, medical practitioners, specialists, and parents or other caregivers; reviews individual family service plans (IFSPs).  As part of a multi-disciplinary team, based on the functional vision evaluation for each child, prepare goals, objectives and lessons based on needs of the child and the priorities of the family.
• Using objective criteria and a family centered practice and approach assesses each child’s progress through evaluation, according to the IFSP. Participates in meetings and serves as a member of the team which is responsible for development and delivery of programs for each child and for overall program planning.
• Communicates regularly with parents, EI staff, and Community Programs administration or others, to assure continuity of individual programs.
• Recommends goals and objectives for future programming of individual students; make scheduling recommendations when appropriate
• Plans and supervises activities in a manner which will safeguard the health and safety of all children and assume responsibility under the teacher's supervision in an emergency.
• Designs educational programming commensurate with the current best practice in the field of Special Education including: Functional curriculum; Age-Appropriateness; Community experience; Integration of related services; Context-based instruction; Expanded Core Curriculum, or as determined by appropriate assessments, based on the needs of children ages 0-3. 
• Maintains family and home and school contact through home visits, service narratives, or other communication methods, as recommended by the program supervisor; maintain appropriate records and provides these to the program file/database
• Collaborates with families, early intervention staff, classroom and agency staffs to direct and coordinate their involvement with the students in the  home setting  . 
• Performs observations and when appropriate make referrals to Let’s Move Consult for the purposes of orientation and mobility. Submits required billing documentation for child and service and any other associated expense in accordance with established due dates, as outlined by the Community Programs administration.
• To perform other related duties and tasks as assigned.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree
• Two (2) years’ experience working with preschoolers and/or school age children with visual impairments who may have additional disabilities and/or  Deafblind
• Ability to complete and maintain First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and Crisis Prevention and Physical Intervention (CPPI) Certifications

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Master’s degree in Special Education
• Dual TVI/O&M certification

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Certification as a Massachusetts Teacher in Vision Impairment or commitment to acquire such certification within one academic year 

Benefits: We provide a complete benefits package, which includes, recess time, tuition reimbursement, medical and dental insurance, LTD and Life insurance, retirement programs and staff development and training. 

Perkins seeks to enhance its community of intellectually, culturally, and socially diverse individuals to enrich the educational experience of our students.  Applicants from a multicultural background, are bilingual, and/or who have life experience are encouraged to apply.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

E_mail: gloria.aymie@perkins.org

Phone: 617-972-7762

Cert: Multiple Certifications

$3,000 Sign on Bonus