Job Description

POSITION : Independent Living Skills Specialist

REPORTS TO : Director Rehabilitation Services

STATUS : Full-Time, Exempt

JOB CLASSIFICATION : Specialist II

UNION ELIGIBLE : Yes

WORK ARRANGEMENT : Hybrid (3 days in person)

LOCATION : California

SALARY RANGE : $69,000 – $90,711

Founded in San Francisco in 1902, the LightHouse’s purpose is to promote the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or visually impaired. The LightHouse is currently in a period of growth, increasing our capacity to serve more low-vision and blind clients.

*Blind/visually impaired strongly encouraged to apply.

*Please note the terms and conditions of this position may be subject to change, once a Union Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place.

OVERVIEW

The Independent Living Skills (ILS) Specialist is a mentor and a teacher who helps blind, low vision and deaf-blind students of all ages and skill levels to learn various aspects of daily living skills independently and confidently. These skills are essential for the students’ self-confidence and success in home, school, and work environments.

The ILS Specialist works with the LightHouse Independent Living Services Team and other colleagues to provide assessment, training and support to the students and their families, using current and progressive techniques and tools. The ILS Specialist also coordinates and facilitates individual and group instruction, both in-person and virtual, in areas such as sensory skills, labeling and organization, home and personal management, culinary skills, financial management, and use of low-tech adaptive equipment and technology.

The ILS Specialist collaborates with the Low Vision Clinic team in San Francisco to assist patients to use lighting, magnification, and contrast, and refers them as needed for further training options. The ILS Specialist develops curriculum and training plans that foster independence, self-reliance, and measurable outcomes for the students. The ILS Specialist also provides mentorship and coaching for adjusting to changing vision, and respects the students’ health, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy, Counseling and Guidance/Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind, Teacher of the Visually Impaired Credential, or related field (such as Occupational Therapy) from an accredited school preferred. ACVREP certification eligible (within one year of employment) preferred.
• 2 years’ experience within the rehabilitation teaching / independent living skills profession, 2 years’ experience working with persons with vision loss and/or personal experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills with varied backgrounds and viewpoints.
• Ability to manage a caseload of a minimum of 10 students, write professional assessments, formulate individual goals and sequential training plans, progress reports and final reports.
• Ability to write articles for LightHouse outreach, as needed.
• Ability to move about within a variety of environmental conditions and independently travel throughout the community and/or arrange travel to train students.
• Strong computer technology skills in Microsoft Office Suite: including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Proficiency in a second language preferred .
• Proficiency in Braille (UEB) preferred.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assess individual needs of student; establish goals for instruction with the student, with timelines and measurable outcomes.
• Ability to motivate students as well as hold them accountable to themselves, their training and moving forward.
• Case management, ongoing communication and establishing consistent lessons with students (recommended 2-3 times/week).
• Comfort in ‘coaching’ related to adjustment to disability, along with training.
• Provide written assessment and recommendations, monthly updates and training summaries within Salesforce, the LightHouse Student Database, and to all Department of Rehabilitation Counselors and third-party contracting sources (Regional Center, Veterans Administration etc.).
• Maintain weekly and monthly database entries regarding direct and indirect work with students, case notes, report writing and billing using Salesforce.
• Responsible for understanding concomitant health conditions, developmental disabilities, and mental health considerations for providing appropriate training with students.
• Must be willing to travel to see students, with options for overnight stays to accommodate training.
• Provide training in a student’s work environment, classroom, or at a LightHouse or community site (e.g., San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa & Sonoma) as needed.
• Work in collaboration with LightHouse ILS and Orientation and Mobility Team to shape foundational and progressive introduction to training services for new students as well as ongoing instruction practices.
• Conduct Functional Vision Evaluations and provide instruction in low vision aids, including the use of, lighting, and desktop and handheld video magnification.
• Facilitate outreach and education in the community as requested.
• Provide staff training regarding living skills in all aspects of daily life requested.
• Conduct student home safety assessments and community agency environmental evaluations in collaboration with Orientation and Mobility Specialists.
• Provide instruction in low tech aids and appliances including (but not limited to): recording devices, listening aids (FM Systems), auditory labeling devices, Victor Reader Stream and Smart Phones as they relate to independent living skills.
• Coordinate and facilitate short term and week-long Changing Vision Changing Life classes, workshops (on-site and in the community) and Immersion.
• Provide education, training, and support to family members with the goal of supporting, not hindering the independence of the student.
• Evaluate worksites for blind and low vision students and provide recommendations/training for creating functional work spaces with the student.
• Provide consultation and/or training to staff of community agencies and LightHouse volunteers on various aspects of assisting blind and low vision.
• Follow the most up-to-date agency health procedures when working with students (e.g., Covid and other respiratory illnesses).
• Ability to perform other related duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to travel independently to all sites as needed
• Frequently/Continually required to stand, walk, and sit.
• Frequently/Continually required to lift/push/carry items up to 25 pounds.
• Frequently/Continually required to travel via public transit and/or other forms of transit to provide training in the community or accompany a student.
• Operate standard office equipment

WORKING CONDITIONS:

LightHouse is an equal opportunity employer. LightHouse policy and the law prohibit discrimination and harassment based on an individual’s race, ancestry, religion or religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, age (40 and over), sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin (including language use restrictions), marital status, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), physical or mental disability (including HIV and AIDS), military or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions, denial of Family and Medical Care leave, height and weight, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or ordinances. Our policy and the law prohibit co-workers, third parties, supervisors, and managers from engaging in such conduct.

LightHouse personnel are employed on an at-will basis. Employment at-will means that the employment relationship may be terminated, with or without cause and with or without advance notice at any time by the employee or the Agency.

We strive to maintain a scent-free environment and a drug-free workplace. Employees are expected to behave in accordance with these objectives.

All employees at LightHouse are hired for an indefinite and unspecified duration and consequently, no employee is guaranteed employment for a specified length of time. Employment is at the mutual consent of the employee and LightHouse. Accordingly, either the employee or LightHouse can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause (“employment at will”).

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a cover letter and résumé as Word attachments (no. PDFs please), along with the completedemployment application (downloads in a Word document), to [email protected] , including the job title in the subject line.

To fill out the application, please enable editing in the document. We will not consider videos or hyperlinks to online profiles. Due to time constraints, we will only respond to complete submissions in which there is serious interest, thanks for your understanding.

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