Position:                     Orientation and Mobility Consultant

Supervisor:              Director of EPO or their designee

General Job Description: The O&M Consultant travels to the students’ assigned schools to provide consultative and some direct services relating to vision loss.  There services enable students to travel safely and efficiently in their home, school and community.  Consultative services will be provided to the school District’s O&M Specialist upon request in difficult or unusual cases.  When appropriate, the NMSBVI Statewide Orientation and Mobility Consultant may provide direct services to some students.  The students may have additional impairments and cognitive levels and may very from gifted and talented to severely impaired.  This position is designated safety sensitive and employees in such positions are subject to random drug and alcohol testing pursuant to Farmington Municipal Schools School Board Policy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides consultative services to School District and/or direct services to school-age children who are blind or visually impaired;
• Perform O&M evaluations on new referrals, annual re-evaluations, and three year re-evaluations as required;
• Perform other assessments such as Insite, Oregon Project, etc.;
• Interpret eye medical reports as they relate to travel environment;
• Contribute to the development of the IEP/IFSP goals;
• Collaborate with the teacher of VI students to recommend appropriate evaluations;
• Consult with the Districts’ orientation and mobility specialists whenever requested;
• Provide consultation and support services to families, teachers, and IEP team to assist in travel modifications and/or areas of concern related to travel;
• Instruct students with visual impairments to develop safe, independent, and efficient travel skills;

• Evaluate students’ progress on an ongoing basis and keep progress notes.
• Develop and present ongoing training regarding orientation and mobility.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Instruct the student with visual impairments to develop skills and knowledge focused on the student’s need, IEP goals and objective, functioning and motivational level that will enable him/her to travel safely, independently, and efficiently in home, school and community;
• Responsible for the student’s safety during O& M while fostering maximum independence during O&M lessons;
• Provide orientation of new school building and new class schedules to students with visual impairments as needed;
• Prepare and use equipment and materials such as tactile maps, models, distance, low vision aids, pre-canes, and long canes for development of O&M skills;
• Provide direct instruction in the unique curriculum:
• Concept development, gross motor skills, visual efficiency skills (with and without aids), pre-cane and cane skills, map making and reading skills outdoor/residential travel, semi-business travel, business travel, social skills, asking for assistance, etc.
• Provide assistance to the students in understanding their attitudes and those of others concerning their visual impairment;
• Emphasize social integration with peers and provide opportunities for interaction;
• Provide training and support to parents of students with visual impairments to enhance their job-related experiences.
• Be sensitive to cultural implications of itinerant and school/family/student relationships;
• Provide information about the vision and O& M curriculums to schools and communities;
• Maintain current student records of all assessments, IEP’s, progress reports and signed parental consent forms for assessment, photography, O*M, and transportation in state vehicles;
• Provide progress reports in accordance with IDEA and as determined by the students IEP and follow up with teacher and/or parent conferences as appropriate;
• Prepare paperwork as appropriate and attend IEP and IFSP meetings;
• Submit requests for instructional materials, conferences, field trips, and personnel needs on a timely basis and in the appropriate manner;
• Assist in registering students to appropriate agencies as APH NMSBVI, NM Commission for the Blind, etc.;
• Communicate with low-vision specialists, ophthalmologists, and optometrists concerning exams, and attend exams when appropriate;
• Supervise material preparation and acquisition;
• Maintain a reference library of current professional materials.

Qualifications:  Bachelor’s degree or higher in Orientation and Mobility, and Teacher of the Visually Impaired preferred, and ACVREP certification as orientation and mobility specialist.  Maintain ACVREP O&M and TVI certification and New Mexico Public Education Department Mobility Trainer licensure.  Required to become and maintain Braille certification, Level II.  Acquire information meetings and by reading journals in the field of visual impairment.

All NMSBVI employees are required to maintain CPR/First Aide certification, and to receive required training such areas as blood-borne pathogens, and child-abuse identification/reporting.  Employees who may be reasonably expected to drive NMSBVI vehicles are required to attend Defensive Driving training to include other mandated employment training as directed by NMSBVI

Language Skills:  Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general educational periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical:  Ability to apply concepts of basic math, algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability:  Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardized exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Physical Requirements: Ability to perform the job and access the environment for which you are hired.   The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   Must be able to drive a vehicle long distances.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, taste or smell.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move/push 25-50 pounds or occasionally lift and/or move/push 50-100 pounds with assistance.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Equipment/Technology Handled:  Must know how to properly operate or be willing to learn to operate all multimedia equipment including current technology.  Ability to operate a personal computer in a non or networked environment; competency in using the Windows operating system; proficiency using applicable portions of the Microsoft Office suite of products (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook) and other programs as required.

Work Environment:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential function of this job.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  Frequent travel is required.

Terms of Employment: Salary and work calendar established yearly by the district.