[Nfbf-l] Fw: [Nfb-announce] Iowa Department for the Blind Counselor Jobs

[Sherri]

Is anyone interested working in Iowa?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 4:16 PM
Subject: [Nfb-announce] Iowa Department for the Blind Counselor Jobs




State of Iowa
Senior Services Specialist for the Blind 1
(Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor)
two full time, merit exempt, at-will positions
candidates must be willing to live and work outside
central Iowa / extensive travel

Senior Services Specialist for the Blind 1, field
operations division.  Make initial contacts using
a variety of referral sources which may require
obtaining data from remote sources; describe
agency and non-agency programs which may be
available to a prospective client.  Provide
comprehensive, intensive counseling services to
new referrals to encourage and motivate these
individuals to avail themselves of agency
services.  Stress the agency's positive
philosophy and attitude toward blindness,
encouraging individuals to do self assessments
based on abilities rather than
disabilities.  Assist the client with an
application for services.  Gather relevant
medical, vocational, psychological, educational,
and family information.  Maintain knowledge of
medical terminology and medical treatments
especially related to the eye and visual
functioning so that a determination as to the
severity of the impairment can be
made.  Determine eligibility for agency programs,
given a thorough knowledge of agency programs,
making referrals to other programs as
necessary.  Counsel extensively regarding
provision of SSDI benefits and Supplemental
Security Income, with special emphasis on
specific work incentives built into each of these programs.
          Assist clients in determining strengths
and weaknesses regarding a variety of career and
social goals.  Use counseling and persuasion
techniques to provide advice and guidance in
highly emotionally charged and near crisis
situations.  Counsel clients in order to obtain
and maintain positive attitudes toward their
blindness and secondary disabilities as they
relate to all aspects of social and career
environments.  Make delicate judgments regarding
a client's self-esteem and abilities over the
course of an extended period of time; producing
clear documentation which outlines the intended
nature of planning and the desired outcome in all
areas of counseling situations.
          Collaborate with client in determining
and realizing career goals.  Evaluate and assess
capabilities, attitudes, skills, and work
potential of blind persons and make
recommendations which will remediate
accordingly.  Develop IPEs, in cooperation with
the client, outlining specific means of achieving
a vocational objective in a specified
time.  Coordinate and direct services which might
include guidance and counseling, college or
vocational training, orientation center training,
learning alternative techniques of blindness,
adaptive occupational or training tools,
assistive technology devices, adaptive skills
training, job training, placement services, job
retention, and follow-up services.  Assume
responsibility for fiscally prudent, sound
judgment in completing authorizations for
expenditure of agency funds according to state
and federal guidelines.  Maintain contact with
clients in training and employment to monitor
progress, solve current problems or potential
problems.  Provide transition services to
students, working cooperatively with local area
education agencies and school systems.  Teach
clients necessary attitude and skills including
job seeking/job keeping attitudes and skills,
Braille, orientation and mobility with use of
long white cane, typing, public transportation
schedules and accessibility, and job specific
alternative techniques of blindness.  Work
alongside with client in new job to teach
specific techniques and skills.  Review training
progress on a regular basis and consult with
client and service providers to facilitate the
process.  Coordinate intra-agency services
including:  rehabilitation teaching, job
development, assistive technology services,
business enterprises program, library services,
orientation center training, deaf-blind
specialist services, and volunteer services.
          Independently prioritize workload to
maximize effective use of time, resources, and
agency assets.  Submit necessary reports, case
recordings, authorizations, and correspondence in
a timely, accurate manner.  Maintain client case
files and other records in an organized, timely,
specified format.  Make full use of similar
benefits where appropriate, including:
scholarships or grants, private or public
disability insurance benefits, workers
compensation benefits, welfare entitlement
programs, job training programs, client or family
resources or earnings or other sources.
          Develop and maintain cooperative
relationships with employers and organized labor
in a variety of industries to enable successful
employment for clients.  Develop employer
mentoring and partnerships.  Maintain working
knowledge of small business development.  Use job
coaches for supported employment services where
appropriate.  Consult with employers and blind
employees in an effort to assist in the area of
job retention or job modification.  This function
requires a working knowledge of current
technologies and techniques being used to assist
persons in successfully retaining or advancing
employment.  Provide comprehensive job
development, job placement and follow-up services
to employers and blind persons, matching
job-ready clients to specific, appropriate jobs
and employers.  Analyze specific jobs and seek
remediation through job remodification,
restructuring, development of new technologies,
techniques or adaptive devices.  Anticipate any
potential problems, attitudinal or technical,
with specific jobs, employers or clients and
investigate means of correcting these problems
through education, counseling, job modification,
adaptive techniques or devices or other
means.  Assist employers in making necessary
changes to enable them to retain, in employment,
those employees who might develop significant
vision problems.  Encourage employer to make
early referral of such cases for vocational
rehabilitation services from our agency.  Also
encourage referrals from labor unions.  Draft job
development/job placement materials and
disseminate to employers, organized labor, and professional organizations.
Advocate, consult, advise, educate, mediate, and
intercede with service   providers, employers,
and the general public.  Design and complete
presentations for educational, professional,
social organizations, and consumer groups
regarding the function and purpose of the
agency.  Maintain a working knowledge of all
aspects of the agency and services
provided.  Encourage and promote support groups of the blind.

Minimum qualifications are:
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, or;
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, or;
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.

Salary range: $ 42,369.60 - $ 64,521.60 annually,
plus comprehensive benefit package, pay grade 28, pay plan 000

Hours:  8:00 a.m. -  4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
For further information contact Karen A.
Keninger, Director, at 515-281-1334 or
800-362-2587.  Persons who wish to be considered
for this position must submit a resume and letter
of application to Karen A. Keninger, Iowa
Department for the Blind, 524 Fourth Street, Des
Moines, IA 50309 no later than 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2009.
EEO/AA






David Andrews and white cane Harry.



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