District Itinerant Teacher of the Blind or Visually Impaired

The Teacher of the Blind or Visually Impaired supports and promotes inclusion for students in the most enabling environment within their school community and provides leadership in the provision of services for learners with visual impairments. The Teacher of the Blind or Visually Impaired, will participate as a member of a collaborative team with teachers, administrators, community partners, and parents/guardians to provide support for learners through: maintaining a current knowledge base of evidence-based/promising practices in learning, issues, trends and research developments in the field of blindness and visual impairment; maintaining a current knowledge base of programs and services of the Ministry of Education, Provincial Resource Center for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB); and maintaining a liaison with CNIP and PRCVI.

SCOPE OF POSITION

• Key responsibilities of the Teacher of the Blind or Visually Impaired are in-service consultation, collaborative planning, and specific instruction;
• Facilitating district in-service and development for paraprofessionals, teachers, administrators, etc., regarding vision and vision loss;
• Partnering with and representing the district in relation to various provincial level resources including the Ministries of Health, Child & Family Development, and Education, as well as Provincial Outreach Programs and other community partners, to maintain current knowledge of issues, trends, and evidence-based interventions, and promote inclusion for students with blindness or visual impairment;
• Sharing program information with outside agencies and groups;
• Interpreting the nature and degree of the learner's vision loss and its educational implications for access;
• Assessing the level of student support required;
• Providing assessment support which may include curriculum-based assessment, criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessments, systematic observation and collection of baseline data;
• Providing consultation with parents/guardians and community partners;
• Collaborating with the Classroom Teacher, Learning Support Teacher, and School Based Team to apply principles of universal design for learning, and to design or implement curricular content revisions, differentiated instructional strategies/materials, or the environment to facilitate learning;
• Participating as a member of an interdisciplinary problem-solving team, during school-based team, integrated case-management, and other meetings;
• Supporting educational teams when facilitating transitions for students who have diverse abilities or disabilities;
• Working closely with school-based teams to plan for and organize support for students with blindness or visual impairment, including those with diverse abilities or disabilities;
• Encouraging and supporting innovations in evidence-based/promising practices in inclusive education (e.g., student independence and self-direction, positive behaviour support);
• Coordinating/writing/co-writing Individual Education Plans (IEP's);
• Coordinating vision assessments, equipment, repair, etc.;
• Teaching braille or coordinating with braille specialist;
• Teach orientation & mobility (O&M) or collaborate with orientation & mobility specialist;
• Identifying and ordering materials and equipment through the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and other sources;
• Modelling/demonstrating and supporting school teams in utilizing inclusive practices, specific materials and equipment;
• Teaching students to develop strategies for use in the classroom and other settings.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Valid B.C. Teaching Certificate;
• Master's degree in the education of students with visual impairments;
• In-depth knowledge of blindness or visual impairments and current issues in delivery of services to students who are blind or visually impaired;
• Familiarity with vision assessments and recommendations and their implication for educational programming;
• Minimum of two years satisfactory teaching experience and two years in a role working with students who are blind or visually impaired;
• Proficiency in braille;
• Familiarity with psycho educational and medical assessment recommendations and their implication for educational programming.

for more information, please contact Assistant Superintendent Deanna Holitzki at deanna.holitzki@sd8.bc.ca

School District #8 (Kootenay Lake) is located in the southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada and serves the Lower Kootenay Band and the communities of Kaslo, Meadow Creek, Crawford Bay, Creston, Wynndel, Yahk, Nelson, Salmo, South Slocan, Winlaw, Slocan, and the surrounding rural areas. Our area is beautiful, vibrant, a fantastic place to raise children, has a world-renowned arts and entertainment community, and easily accesses a variety of amazing outdoor pursuits.

Kootenay Lake School District serves the learning needs of approximately 4700 students in several diverse communities and in an array of learning environments throughout the Kootenays. Our visionary, creative team of approximately 900 staff focuses on providing the best opportunities for students and their families. Our mission is to inspire and support each learner to thrive in a caring learning environment.

The School Board Office is located in Nelson, B.C. Our schools are dispersed geographically and range in size and composition:

• 13 elementary schools

• 1 middle school

• 1 K-10 school

• 4 secondary schools

• 2 K-12 schools

• online learning and blended programs

• an extensive array of program options, including Aboriginal Education, Late French Immersion, Outdoor Programs, and a strong International Program.

Salary Range; $63,367 – $111,488 per year, in accordance with the current SD8–Kootenay Lake / KLTF Collective Agreement. Placement on the salary grid is based on qualifications and years of teaching experience as evaluated by the BC Teacher Qualification Service (TQS).

Job Description & Requirements

Only applications submitted on Make a Future will be considered. While the District encourages all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

School District 8 supports equity hiring for Indigenous applicants.

• If you are experiencing any technical issues with your application process to contact Make A Future's customer service line as HR cannot upload or assist with these types of issues. We also cannot accept documents via email such as cover letters/resumes/transcripts/teaching reports via email as they do need to be part of the employee's Make a Future profile.