- A bachelor's degree from a college or university.
- Texas certification for teachers of students with visual impairments.
- The ability to travel between sites.
The itinerant teacher for students with visual impairments travels to the students' assigned schools to provide direct and/or consultative special education services relating to vision loss. These services enable the students to learn in a variety of settings. Services for infants may be provided in the infants' homes or child care settings. The students range in age from birth through 21 and may have only a visual impairment or additional disabilities. The cognitive levels of the students range from severely impaired to gifted and talented.
Major Responsibilities and Duties:
Assessment and Evaluation
- Perform functional vision and learning media assessments on new referrals and three-year re-evaluations
- Interpret eye medical reports as they relate to educational environments
- Contribute to the development of the IEP/IFSP with goals, modifications, learning styles.
- Recommend appropriate specialized evaluations as needed, such as low vision, orientation and mobility, psycho-social, and adaptive physical education
- Consult with diagnosticians, classroom teachers, students, and parents concerning appropriate evaluations, modification, and test administration
- Obtain modified standardized testing materials (NAPT, ITBS, TAAS, SAT, ACT) and administer or assist in the administration of the test as needed
- Work as liaison with other agencies in the vocational assessment process
- Administer various other tests as appropriate (Oregon Project, Insite, Hawaii, Boehme, LAP, E-LAP)
- Participate in team assessments for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities
- Provide screening and referral procedures to appropriate personnel.
Appropriate Learning Environment
- Assist in determining and procuring classroom equipment and materials necessary for the student with visual impairments to learn (brailler, low vision devices, assistive technology, computer) including ensuring necessary room modifications and lighting changes
- Provide the classroom teacher with information regarding the specialized strategies needed to teach a VI student
- Consult with other instructional staff to provide information to incorporate the expanded core curriculum into the entire instructional setting
- Provide modified materials to the classroom teacher
- Provide braille, recorded/enlarged materials, and tactual symbols as appropriate for each child.
Direct Instruction in the Unique Curriculum
- Monitoring the students' progress in academic subjects and provide instruction in compensatory skills as needed in the areas the students may have difficulty with as a result of the visual impairment (This does not include tutoring in subject areas once materials and methods have been modified to accommodate the vision loss)
- Braille reading and writing
- Low vision devices
- Adaptive devices (e.g., computers, note takers, tape recorders)
- Listening skills
- Visual efficiency
- Concept development (especially for infants and early childhood students)
- Daily living/self-help skills
- Career readiness
- Leisure and recreation skills
- Social skills
- Organizational and study skills
- Provide assistance to students with visual impairments in understanding their attitudes and those of others concerning their visual impairment
- Facilitate social integration and interaction with peers
- Provide training and support to parents of students with visual impairments to enhance their children's independence
- Provide the teachers, staff, and family of students with visual impairment with information regarding their individual needs, methodology, and strategies
- Participate with other school personnel and agencies to secure job-related experiences for students
- Participate in transition planning.
Administrative/Record Keeping Duties
- Provide updated pupil information (VI registration, deafblind census, textbook projections)
- Submit requests for instructional materials, conferences, field trips, and personnel needs
- Inform various special education and campus personnel of progress and needs of the students with visual impairment on a regular basis
- Identify and set up a work and storage space at each school to be used by the VI teacher to instruct students as necessary
- Provide input into students' schedules, planning for all special services, such as direct instruction and orientation and mobility
- Maintain adequate record of all assessments, IEPs, ARD papers, progress reports and signed parental release forms for things such as photographs and registration with various agencies
- Provide 6-week, 9-week, or 12-week progress reports as indicated by school policy on students with visual impairment in regular education classes and follow up with teacher and/or parent conferences as appropriate
- Register students with visual impairments with appropriate agencies such as Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, and the Texas State Library, and assist with referral to the Texas State Commission for the Blind
- Prepare paperwork as appropriate and attend ARDs and IFSP meetings on students with visual impairments
- Distribute information to parents concerning workshops, conferences, and equipment acquisition
- Communicate with low-vision specialists, ophthalmologists, and optometrists concerning exams, and attend exams when appropriate
- Supervise material preparation and acquisition.
Liaison Between Community and School
- Provide information about district and/or regional vision programs to the schools and community.
- Provide information concerning recreational and summer programs to parents and students and assist with application forms and procedures. Such activities might include Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired summer school, Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (formerly known as Texas Commision for the Blind) summer work programs, or Lion's Club Summer Camp.
- Maintain a reference library.
- Acquire information about current research, development, and technology by attending conferences, workshops, and area meetings and by reading journals in the field of visual impairment.
Performance on the job will be evaluated by a supervisor. Evaluation should be completed by individual(s) knowledgeable in visual impairments.