Orientation & Mobility Specialist

Work Hours:  Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm
Work Location: 1151 S Wood St Chicago, IL 60612-4889

Division of Rehabilitation Services

Customer and Community Blind Services

Region 1

Position Overview

The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is the state’s lead division serving people with disabilities committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and racial justice.  The mission of the Division is to assist individuals with disabilities in achieving their goals of employment, education, and independent living.  This position instructs individuals who are Blind, Visually Impaired or DeafBlind in orientation and mobility skills in the Bureau of Customer and Community Blind Services.  This position teaches principles of long cane technique and related elements and assists customers in the development of sensory skills to travel safely in familiar and unfamiliar surroundings and function independently in travel. The Division of Rehabilitation Services is seeking to hire a self-motivated and detail-oriented individual with good communication skills.

Job Responsibilities

1. Provides orientation and mobility instruction in an assigned geographical area in the Bureau of Customer and Community Blind Services.

2. Manages caseload of customers who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Deafblind.

3. Establishes and nurtures effective working relationships with customers.

4. Participates in staff meetings and assists with training for trainee staff.

5. Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Requires a master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility from an accredited college or university.

2. Requires certification as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS).

3. Requires one-year professional experience in orientation and mobility such as could be gained from completion of an agency-sponsored training program.

Preferred Qualifications

1. One (1) year of professional experience assessing individuals needs and preparing a plan of services providing instruction in orientation and mobility skills to individuals who visually impaired, blind, or DeafBlind to live independently and/or gain competitive employment.

2. One (1) year of professional experience working with federal statutes related to rehabilitation programs such as the Rehabilitation Act and amendments, the Social Security Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Workforce Innovative Opportunities Act (WIOA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act, etc.

3. One (1) year of professional experience utilizing, reading and writing braille.

4. One (1) year of professional experience researching and remaining up to date on trends in orientation and mobility including accessibility, teaching techniques and adaptive technology.

5. One (1) year of professional experience establishing trusting relationships and communicating clearly and effectively with customers, family members, coworkers, providers, and employers.

6. One (1) year of professional experience researching and adopting an effective course of action as it relates to services, barriers and concerns for individuals who are visually impaired, blind, or DeafBlind to reach their potential.

Conditions of Employment

1. Requires ability to travel to provide services in the customer’s home, residential setting, or group setting as well as in the built environment.

2. Requires ability to physically access the customer’s home environment and/or work environment and use public transportation.

3. Requires ability to visually assess the travel route for the safety of the customer.

*The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.