Job Description

Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Position Title: Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist

Reports To: Head of Client Services

Location: 912 West Broadway Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Position Type: Full Time, Salaried and Exempt

Salary Range: $55,000 - $75,000

The mission of the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is to encourage and empower blind and significantly visually impaired children, youth, adults and seniors to achieve their desired level of independence through competitive employment, specialized training and client services (at no charge).

The Client Services department provides orientation and mobility (O&M) services for people with vision loss to assist with increasing independence, safety and achieving personal goals.  The Orientation and Mobility Specialist will empower individuals that are blind or visually impaired by helping them to develop skills and knowledge to enable them to travel safely, independently and confidently.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Teacher and Trainer
2. Referral Coordination and Documentation
3. Resource and Donation Management
4. Education and Advocacy

Teacher and Trainer

• Ability to establish trust and rapport with a diverse case load of clients from Tarrant, Denton and surrounding counties that Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth serves.
• Identify goals using approaches like the Person-Centered Planning process which is directed by the person receiving the support and services.
• Flexibility to teach and train in a variety of locations including public spaces, client home, Lighthouse Fort Worth office, transportation systems, and dense city or rural environments.
• Skillset to teach and train O&M in a one-to-one or group, depending on approval by referral partner organization and Head of Client Services.
• Encourage clients to overcome obstacles for increased independence and confidence.
• Solutions oriented, with ability to empathize with various problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to prioritize and independently manage weekly schedule, travel requirements, client needs and agency meeting expectations, all while maintaining organization and efficiency. 
• Familiarity and demonstrated practice using the 9 Areas of the Expanded Core.
• Design, Implement and Adapt an O&M Training Plan for each client or group receiving O&M services, with a projected completion date and recommended training hours to align with Lighthouse Fort Worth client services performance measures.
• Ability and willingness to manage and coordinate with volunteers to assist O&M client needs, home visits, community outreach, supplies inventory and donations program.
• Coordinates, manages, prioritizes and develops a weekly schedule to meet with numerous clients and internal employees for O&M training.
• Manage and prioritize referrals from partner agencies, community organizations, Lighthouse Fort Worth employees and their direct supervisors, and those interested in services that may reach out by phone, email or walk into the office.
• Adapts teaching strategies and materials to address specific client learning styles.
• Displays flexibility and adaptability to modify instructional objectives and lesson plans based on unexpected circumstances and client needs.
• Ability to evaluate client progress and recommend strategies for continued self-learning.
• Assist and empower clients to develop a self-advocating strategy and support network.

• Be able to conduct objective assessments to then make objective recommendations.
• Communicate effectively with professionalism, kindness, empathy, and patience with a diverse case load of clients that may exhibit a dynamic range of emotions or appear to be difficult.
• Train new eligible Lighthouse Fort Worth employees with O&M, as applicable, and provide ongoing O&M support for employees, as needed.
• Willingness to complete 20 hours of blindfold travel per year to remain competent in your teaching skills, as recommended by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
• Assertive, empathetic and direct communicator to establish the O&M professional role, training timeframe, visit purpose and overall expectations.

Referral Coordination and Documentation

• Completes in person assessment of customer skills according to the partner organization referral to determine training needs and or to develop training plans.
• The O&M Specialist will manage and coordinate all partner referrals, including TWC O&M training referral documentation and follow-up.
• Build and cultivate long term relationships with community referral partners as an ongoing performance measure to sustain long term relationships with community partners agencies.
• Completes all documentation in the Client Services Database, Casebook, to track weekly, monthly and annual performance measure goals.
• Complete case notes and all required documentation within the required time, according to agency documentation compliance.
• Identify, recommend and implement O&M performance measures to report weekly, monthly and annual goals in line with Client Services and Lighthouse Fort Worth outcomes.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 CoPilot, assistive technology, and Case Management Databases.

Resource and Donation Management

• Have a broad and clear knowledge of O&M aids including rigid, folding and adapted canes, electronic travel aids, human and dog guides, and optical and non-optical devices.   

• Awareness of local, state and national organizations providing services, which include guide dog schools, modes of public transportation, agencies and other organizations that serve people with vision loss. 
• Assist with sharing internal and external company information, forms, policies and procedures to internal employees and the general community using preferred formats (ex. large print and braille.   
• Lead, inventory and coordinate O&M supplies disbursement program which includes canes, and additional O&M devices, as applicable and available.

Education and Advocacy

• Advocate for the rights of all individuals with visual impairments to receive appropriate services
• Advocate for increased accessibility of all local transportation systems and connect with other professionals and the broader community by joining advisory councils or attending committee meetings and general community meetings, as applicable.
• Conduct presentations to staff, public, community organizations, colleges, universities, and other entities, as aligned with core responsibilities and staff availability.
• Represent the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth and the interests of the blind community at local community events, boards, committees, coalitions and peer support groups in a positive and supportive manner, as available.

• Develop and maintain positive, working relationships with other O&M specialists, Blind/Visually Impaired (BVI) professional groups, Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI), persons with vision loss, and advocacy groups locally and statewide to continue to lead the Lighthouse Fort Worth O&M program with best practices and lived experience insight.

• Collaborate with internal employees and external partner organizations to ensure all clients receive appropriate accommodation and resources related to transition, job retention, self-employment, or vision related services.
• Assist internal organizational department heads in assessing job tasks, machinery and equipment for job modifications, job training, and job accommodations. 
• Design, teach and schedule ongoing Blindness Awareness Trainings (BAT) for staff, employees, the public, employers and businesses, the community, family, friends, and relatives of Lighthouse.
• Promote the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth and increases the advancement and growth of the client services department in the number of persons served within the service area while evaluating and improving the scope of services provided.
• Provide consultation, guidance, direction and support to family, friends and others in the community as needed regarding accommodating a person with vision loss.
• Participation in continuing professional education and development activities such as reading literature, attending conferences and colleague collaboration.    

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Knowledge

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Demonstrated professionalism in attitude, dependability, teamwork, positive behavior, teaching, documentation skills and standards of ethical integrity with a strong mission alignment to the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

Education and Training

1. The O&M Specialist must meet one of the following criteria as required by the TWC:
   • Be certified by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) or the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) or;
   • Have a degree in O&M from an accredited college or university with an established O&M training curriculum and become certified by ACVREP or NBPCB within one year of being hired by the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth or;
   • Have at least two years of full-time experience teaching O&M skills for an entity that VR recognizes, such as a rehabilitation center, a Veterans Administration hospital, or an educational system, and: 
     • provide three professional references indicating the candidate's ability to teach O&M skills to blind or visually impaired individuals; and 
     • be certified by ACVREP (COMS) or NBPCB (NOMC) within one year of being hired by the service provider. 
2. The O&M Specialist must also meet the following requirements before or during their employment with Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.  
   • Complete the TWC Texas Confidence Builders training for O&M Specialists, in Austin.
   • Obtain other certifications and training as required by the State of Texas.  
   • Stay current with O&M certification by recertifying every five years.

Physical Requirements

1. General Physical Requirements
   • Medium work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force occasionally to move objects.
2. Physical Activities

• Climbing: Ascending or descending stairs, escalators, ramps and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility and balance are emphasized. This factor is important to maintain the safety of students, consumers and trainees.  
• Bending: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and make fine discriminations in sound.

1. Working Conditions
   • Outdoor environmental conditions: Ability to work in extreme outdoor temperatures for sustained periods of time including freezing temperatures below 32 degrees or hot and humid temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour. Consideration should be given to the effect of other North Texas environmental conditions such as wind, humidity, heavy rain, hail and other unexpected precipitation.
   • Indoor atmospheric conditions: Fumes, odors, or dust.  

Transportation

• Must have reliable transportation to and from work, and within required business hours. We do compensate for mileage, according to the Federal IRS rates.  

Office Hours

• Monday – Thursday, 7:00 am – 5:30 pm, in person. Occasionally hours outside of normal office hours may be needed to meet company objectives

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed.  They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of the position.  Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by management. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.

Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth, a non-profit organization, is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualifications