Job Openings

The Iris Network

12/08/2022

Pay

$57,500 annually

Full-time; Monday-Friday

Benefits

27 days off per year, 13 holidays, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, 403b with agency match, short term and long term disability, life insurance and AD&D.

Who We Are:

The Iris Network, established in 1905, is dedicated to helping people with vision impairments or blindness, gain and maintain independence as well as community integration. We provide this through out the State of Maine. This Orientation and Mobility position is in our Training Center located in Portland, ME. In the Training Center we provide training for working age clients (18-55) with independent living skills, manual art skills (which include basic home maintenance), vocational rehabilitation skills and orientation and mobility!

We are located on a busy main street, with not busy side streets just off of them, a park near by and a bus stop out front for a variety of classes you can teach!

Overview:

The Orientation and Mobility Instructor will provide direction and guidance to clients who have a visual impairment. The goal will be independent, safe and accurate navigation of their environment.

Job Duties:

• Teach cane skills to be used in a range of indoor and outdoor environments;
• Train clients to use tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory and proprioceptive information;
• Assess client’s functions in orientation and mobility skills and provide goals;
• Teach clients to travel independently, using a variety of actual or simulated travel situations or exercises;
• Prepare lesson plans focused on achievement of established goals for each client and maintain progress notes on achievement of training goals;
• Develop an individualized Orientation and Mobility plan for each client including establishment of individualized goals and recommendations for projected levels of skill to be achieved and amount and length of training required to provide each student with orientation and mobility skills needed for maximum independence and safe personal and vocational functioning;
• Assess and teach skills necessary to navigate the environment safely and as independently as possible with particular attention to conceptual skills, sensory awareness, orientation (one’s location in their surroundings), and mobility (including sighted guide, indoor and outdoor long-cane travel skills, street crossings, route planning, bus travel, etc.);
• Provide information and individualized recommendations for the most appropriate tools for navigation;
• Provide clients (and their families if appropriate) with regular feedback, information and support regarding their present traveling abilities and limitations in consideration of their safety;
• Confer with other program staff in the establishment of overall client programming;
• Train volunteers and new staff in the use of proper sighted guide techniques;
• Adhere to all The Iris Network policies and procedures;
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Vision Rehabilitation, Orientation and Mobility, rehabilitation field, educational field, or other related field;
• ACVREP- Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist Certification required;
• 1-3 years of work experience, preferred.

The Iris Network is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of The Iris Network to provide equal employment opportunities to all candidates for employment regardless of age, race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status or any other protected status.

E_mail: kcolern@theiris.org

Phone: 207-518-5034

Cert: COMS