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<img src="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/IACIO/2025/02/10987521/bnr-idb_original.png" width=600 height=148 alt="Iowa Department for the Blind - 100 years of empowerment">
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Announcement <br>
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December 16, 2025<br>
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<h1><b>Job Posting at IDB</b></h1><br>
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<a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.governmentjobs.com%2Fcareers%2Fiowa%2Fjobs%2F5171802%2Fvocational-rehabilitation-counselor%3Fpagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs%26sort=PostingDate%257CDescending%26utm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0100019b286d2ac6-acbfe1a5-6418-4ea3-baa5-41c8ace949cc-000000/zR6PAitCDnYaWkqPkAP_bO4ZuONGxmr0OvkfcafYsR4=435">
<h1><b>Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor</a></b></h1><br>
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Salary: $56,118.40 - $85,467.20 Annually<br>
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Location: Des Moines - 50309 - Polk County, IA<br>
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Job Type: Full-time<br>
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Job Number: 26-01569<br>
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Agency: 131 Iowa Department for the Blind<br>
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Opening Date: 12/16/2025<br>
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Closing Date: 12/30/2025 11:59 PM Central<br>
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LinkedIn Tag: #LI-DNP<br>
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Point of Contact: Keri Osterhaus
(<a href="mailto:Keri.Osterhaus@blind.state.ia.us">
Keri.Osterhaus@blind.state.ia.us</a>)<br>
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<h2><b> </b></h2><br>
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<h2><b>Job Description</b></h2><br>
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<b>This is a non-merit position. Candidates must follow the
instructions in the "To Apply" section. Positions in this
class are exempt from the screening and referral requirements of the Iowa
Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources
Enterprise.</b><br>
<br>
<b>Only applicants who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and
meet all selective requirements (listed below) will be eligible.
</b><br>
<br>
The Department for the Blind (IDB) is searching for experienced
candidates for the position of Young Adult Vocational Rehabilitation
Counselor. As a member of a team of 3 young adult vocational
rehabilitation counselors, this position can be based in the state of
Iowa and travel to serve and manage a caseload of Pre Employment
Transition Age Students (Pre-ETS) aged 14-21 who are blind or have low
vision in a regional third of the state.<br>
<br>
Following successful completion of the orientation and training
activities, the position will be housed in the state of Iowa. The
training for this position is a minimum of 14 weeks and is completed in
Des Moines, Iowa. If individual can demonstrate existing skills and
supervisor and training instructor agree, the individual may be able to
test out of certain aspects of training.<br>
<br>
This position is responsible for assisting students of the Iowa
Department for the Blinds Pre-ETS programs to identify employment goals.
The position provides counseling and guidance and ensures that clients
receive training in the alternative techniques of blindness in order for
the individual to successfully pursue their vocational goals. This
position will also be responsible for educating and offering students
information regarding Pre-ETS programs that are applicable to them. Ideal
candidates will have a solid understanding of career development,
employer engagement and instruction strategies. The successful candidate
will also have experience developing plans, partnering with service
providers and education professionals, and providing access to work-based
learning experiences including job shadows, informational interviews, and
volunteer, paid, and unpaid work opportunities. In addition, strong
documentation, collaboration, organization and time management skills are
essential to the position.<br>
<br>
Duties and responsibilities include the following areas:<br>
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<b><u>Case Management </u></b><br>
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· Independently prioritize
workload to maximize effective utilization of time, resources, and agency
assets. This position covers a territory of several counties in a third
of Iowa and requires frequent travel.<br>
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· Submit necessary reports,
case recordings, authorizations, and correspondence in a timely and
accurate manner. <br>
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· Maintain client files and
other records in an organized and specified format<b><u>.</u></b><br>
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<b><u>Application and Eligibility Determination</u></b><br>
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· Interview applicant, consult
with family, and contact other sources such as ophthalmologists,
community partners, and employers to procure visual, medical,
psychological, social and educational information. <br>
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· Determines eligibility for
services, assesses vocational, social and medical needs through
appropriate testing and medical reports. <br>
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<b><u>Plan Development/Counseling and Guidance/Plan
Implementation</u></b><br>
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· Provide guidance and
counseling regarding client\u2019s personal and vocational adjustment
throughout the rehabilitation process.<br>
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· Assist clients through
informed choice in determining appropriate vocational goals and serves as
a resource for clients seeking information regarding employment and
employment goals. <br>
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· Maintains a working
knowledge of assistive technology and reasonable accommodations. <br>
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· Assist clients to obtain an
employment outcome using a variety of job development and job placement
strategies including contacting employers, assessing employers\u2019 needs,
and providing resources and education to employers and clients. <br>
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· Counsel and guide clients in
the establishment of self-employment goals. <br>
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· Involve at the minimum 1 new
and 1 returning Pre-ETS student in Pre-ETS programming once per
quarter<br>
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<b><u>Public Awareness and Education</u></b><br>
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· Advocate, consult, advise,
educate, mediate, and intercede with service providers, employers, and
the general public. <br>
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· Develop and maintain
referral sources by providing information and resources through personal
contacts, written communication and presentations. <br>
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<b>Essential Functions</b><br>
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· Interpret and analyze
assessment data to develop goals and activities for individual plans of
employment.<br>
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· It is the policy of the
Department for the Blind to conduct background checks on all finalist
candidates prior to any offer of employment.<br>
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· Provide pre-employment
transition services including job exploration counseling, work-based
learning opportunities, workplace readiness training, counseling
opportunities for post-secondary educational programs, and instruction in
self-advocacy/peer mentoring to students with disabilities.<br>
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· Communicate with educators,
community rehabilitation providers, and employers statewide about
equipment modifications, accommodations, and alternative techniques that
help blind people succeed.<br>
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· Develop and implement
approaches to help eligible individuals explore career alternatives, find
and interview for available jobs, and keep and/or advance in current
jobs.<br>
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· Develop relationships with
employers statewide to assist blind students, youth, and adults (with and
without additional disabilities) to obtain, maintain, and retain
employment and explore careers.<br>
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· Ability and means to travel
within the local area in order to meet with clients, educators, employers
and other professionals and stakeholders to perform the work of the
position.<br>
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It is the policy of the Department for the Blind to conduct background
checks on all finalist candidates prior to any offer of employment.<br>
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<h2><b>Selectives</b></h2><br>
<br>
<b><u>752 Vocational Rehabilitation:</u></b><br>
6 months experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both that
specifically relates to employment and training services for individuals
with disabilities. That knowledge base will include an awareness of the
unique needs of this population, laws relating to discrimination or
reasonable accommodations, assistive technology, and an understanding of
employment and training systems and services, especially as provided in
Iowa.<br>
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AND<br>
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<b><u>257 Career Development Counseling:</u></b><br>
6 months experience at the high school or college level or in the public
or private sector such as Iowa Workforce Development or an employment
agency. In the case of the latter, must have experience analyzing and
assessing applicants\u2019 work and education history and applying it to
career goals.<br>
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· Must possess broad
knowledge of postsecondary education and/or job training infrastructure.
<br>
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· Must be able to
communicate with program participants of varying academic and vocational
abilities<br>
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<h2><b>Minimum Qualification Requirements</b></h2><br>
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Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in
human service-oriented sciences, education, marketing or business and
experience equal to three years of full time professional work;<br>
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OR<br>
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the equivalent of three years of full-time experience as a rehabilitation
counselor or teacher shall be considered as qualifying provided the
employee has successfully completed training to meet the certification
criteria established by the agency; <br>
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OR<br>
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an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting the
equivalent of one year of full-time professional work experience for each
year of the required education to a maximum substitution of four
years. <br>
<br>
For additional information, please click on this
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