In 1915 The Louisiana Commission for the Blind, made up of individuals who were blind and their friends, began meeting at 1336 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA. They came together with the goal of providing meaningful employment for people who are blind. In 1957, the Commission formally changed its name to The Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans. In 1996, Lighthouse aligned with its industrial peers and moved to a high-tech manufacturing facility. The Lighthouse became a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility driven by the production of new, high volume, commercially competitive products, and provides call center services to the federal government. The lighthouse also serves the communities in New Orleans and Baton Rouge with services for the blind and visually impaired, hard of hearing and Deaf, and individuals with other disabilities. Each year Lighthouse continues evolving to meet the needs of the community by creating jobs, developing new programs, and providing quality products for disabled individuals. Lighthouse Louisiana has a proud history and a bright future. We are seeking an Orientation and Mobility Specialist to help assist us to the next level in our evolution.
Job Summary: Under the direction of the Vision Rehabilitation Services (VRS) Director, the Lighthouse Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS) provides quality assessments and training to clients of all ages in the New Orleans region. The job requires both facility-based and itinerant training to foster safe and independent travel for clients in home, work, and community. settings. Additionally, the COMS advocates for the needs of people with vision loss as a representative of Lighthouse by participating in community education events, advocacy opportunities, and meetings with local coalitions.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Perform quality O&M assessments and subsequent training to support the mobility needs of clients across all service areas to include facility, home, work, and community venues. Develop goals and objectives following each evaluation to ensure that all clients reach their highest abilities based on individual needs and desires. Collect pre and post data to measure service outcomes.
2. Submit assessments, progress summaries, discharge summaries, daily notes, and invoices by procedure to support reimbursement from all funding sources. Accurately document all services as determined by department policy to ensure timely invoicing and to maintain good communication with Lighthouse staff, referring Physicians, and contracting agencies. 3. Provide individual and group instruction to participants in the New Vision and Next Step Programs for clients who qualify for Older Blind services as outlined in the program curricula for O&M.
4. Collaborate with VRS staff to develop and implement youth services for the Light Steps and Forward Steps programs.
5. Collaborate with the vision rehabilitation team to optimize communication regarding client needs and plans for services across all Lighthouse programs.
6. Conduct sensitivity training for new Lighthouse employees in the New Orleans facility. Conduct initial O&M assessments for employees who have vision loss to identify needs for training to ensure their safety when navigating throughout the facility. 7. Conduct periodic assessments and training as needed to support Lighthouse employees who are blind to enhance their efficiency, productivity, and safety on the job. Consult with management staff to resolve identified challenges as requested.
8. Collaborate as a member of the Mo-Mobility team to enhance blind pedestrian safety and public transit services for people who are visually impaired or Deaf-Blind across the New Orleans and Baton Rouge regions by providing system assessments, educational presentations, and interactive training opportunities to transit operators, city planners, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
9. Participate in education and advocacy events to promote inclusion for people with vision loss. Provide sensitivity training to teams of local businesses. Conduct environmental assessments for public venues. And engage with the community at outreach events.
10. Supervise O&M students as determined by university guidelines to ensure successful internships and to grow the field of Vision Rehabilitation.
11. Foster a team environment with effective communication and a coordinated approach to providing vision rehabilitation services.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:
1. Education: bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited program with emphasis in
Orientation & Mobility required; Certification as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist required.
2. Special Knowledge/Skills: Proficient skills for assessing and teaching Orientation and Mobility in various settings; Knowledge of visual disabilities and effects on functional skills. Comfort working with people who may have additional disabilities, Effective teaching skills with ability to assess and adjust training to optimize progress; Strong troubleshooting skills; Superior oral and written communications; Ability to develop and perform professional presentations; Proficient in the use of Office software products and the internet required.
3. Experience: Minimum of 350 hours experience instructing people with varying degrees of vision loss on the use of adaptive strategies and mobility aids for safe and independent navigation. Experience and proficiency to complete assessments and draft professional reports.
4. Supervisory Responsibilities: O&M interns as required; Volunteers as required.
5. Physical: Good physical health to support outdoor training during all seasons. Able to walk long distances and manage public transportation systems independently. Able to manage transportation and training for off-site instruction around client homes and businesses. Must be energetic and able to function in a dynamic office setting. Must be able to tolerate driving in all conditions for extended periods to support travel between Lighthouse locations and throughout the New Orleans and Baton Rouge regions. Able to travel throughout the facility to safely and effectively manage all work responsibilities, breaks, and emergency evacuations, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Able to manage all self-care needs and activities of daily living as required to support successful employment, with or without a reasonable accommodation.
6. Personality Traits: Friendly, client-focused, and flexible; Professional in appearance and attitude; Creative problem-solver who is detail-oriented and works well with others; Collaborative spirit but able to work independently when needed; Mission-minded teacher who motivates clients and teams to achieve successful outcomes; Openly offers and accepts constructive feedback.
7. Working Conditions: Outdoors, classroom, client home/work, commercial, and industrial environments. Frequent travel required. Mileage reimbursement provided to service providers who travel to/from client appointments. Valid driver’s license and clear driving record required with valid insurance.
8. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Occasional weekend community outreach activities and training sessions.
9. Background Check and Drug Test Require: Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results.
This job This job description does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed. The incumbent in this position will perform such other tasks as may be required for the effective operation of the Division/Department upon request by his/her supervisor.
Lighthouse Louisiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer
At Lighthouse Louisiana, we are committed to the principles of equal employment. We comply with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. We are dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy regarding all aspects of employment including, but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay (and other compensation), termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.
In addition, we take affirmative actions to recruit, hire, promote and retain veterans. An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
License/Certification:
- Certification for Orientation and Mobility Specialist (Required)
Work Location: In person