Voc Rehab Specialist - Certified

The Education and Labor Cabinet (ELC) fosters opportunities for lifelong learning, training, and career services while protecting the well-being of Kentucky's workforce. Our mission is to promote early childhood through 12th grade, postsecondary education, adult education, and credentialed training to provide lifelong opportunities for Kentuckians. ELC uses resources and data to improve the prosperity of Kentucky's workforce by actively engage employers to drive Kentucky's workforce system in creating opportunities for and removing employment barriers for Kentuckians. ELC also creates a culture of accountability to promote best practices, fairness, and compliance with Kentucky's wage and hour, employees' safety, and health and worker's compensation requirements.

The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation empowers individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, achieve economic self-sufficiency and independence, and to contribute back to society. We also help businesses and employers recruit, retain, and accommodate employees with disabilities.

We are seeking a Voc Rehab Specialist - Certified to provide expert services to persons with disabilities in the development, coordination, instruction, implementation, and monitoring of specialized vocational rehabilitation services, programs and/or activities, such as orientation and mobility, assistive technology, rehabilitation technology, job placement and development, supported employment, etc., as well as serve as team leader in Certified field of expertise. This position is responsible for direction, oversight, and for meeting the training objectives of the consumer and the rehabilitation program.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform Orientation and Mobility (O&M) evaluations and training for referred Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Independent Living/older blind consumers.

• Receive referral information and interpret eye reports and other medical reports.

• Write monthly training reports for referring Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) counselor, prepare evaluation report with recommendations, ongoing case notes and updates, and final training report documenting training goals and outcomes.

• Coordinate schedule with consumer and travel to conduct O&M evaluations and training to include cane skills, community familiarization, guide techniques, cognitive mapping, etc.

• Provide information to agency staff regarding program.

• Develop informational materials on safety, guide dogs, guide techniques, and other O&M topics.

• Provide outreach and training to community partners, professional organizations, and workforce partners to promote the O&M program.

• Conduct worksite assessments for employers and staff.

• Consult and report to the Agency.

• Provide consultation to the agency on best practice of O&M, and provide updated active eval and training cases and completed cases for reporting needs of the Division of Blind Services.

• Inform in the development/updating Policy and Procedures Manual, Consumer Manual, and OVR website.

• Perform other duties as required.

ELC participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States. ELC will only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. For more information on E-Verify, or if you believe that ELC has violated its E-Verify responsibilities, please contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at 999-897-7781 or https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Minimum Requirements

EDUCATION: Master's degree in rehabilitation, rehabilitation teaching, technology or therapy, guidance and/or counseling, orientation and mobility, social work, education, health services, business administration, human resource administration, workforce development, communications, sciences or a related field.

EXPERIENCE, TRAINING, OR SKILLS: Two years experience in rehabilitation, rehabilitation teaching, technology or therapy, guidance and/or counseling, orientation and mobility, social work, education, health services, business administration, human resource administration, workforce development, communications, sciences or a related field. One year of the required experience must be working directly with an individual with a disability in any capacity, paid or unpaid.

Substitute EDUCATION for EXPERIENCE: NONE

Substitute EXPERIENCE for EDUCATION: A bachelor's degree plus an additional two years of professional experience in rehabilitation, rehabilitation teaching, technology or therapy, guidance and/or counseling, orientation and mobility, social work, education, health services, business administration, human resource administration, workforce development, communications, sciences or a related field will substitute for the required master's degree.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS (AGE, LICENSURE, REGULATION, ETC.): Must possess at least one certification listed below. For additional information relating to certifications, refer to web link. Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified vocational Evaluation Specialist https://crccertification.com Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist, Certified Deafblind Intervenor Specialist, Certified Low Vision Therapist, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist https://www.acvrep.org/ Assistive Technology Professional, Seating and Mobility Specialist, Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist https://www.resna.org/ Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist, Driver Rehabilitation Specialist https://www.aded.net/ Licensed Clinical Social Worker https://BSW.KY.Gov Licensed Professional Counselor https://LPC.KY.gov Literary Braille Transcribing https://nfb.org/ National Orientation and Mobility Certification, National Certification in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind, National Certification in Access Technology for the Blind, National Certification in Unified English Braille https://nbpcb.org/ Must maintain any required licensure(s), certification(s), or other credentials for the length of employment in this job classification. Employing agency is responsible for ensuring employee possesses and maintains required licensure(s), certification(s) or other credentials.

Working Conditions

Work is performed primarily in an office setting. Occasional travel will be required to coordinate services between customers and the agency.

Probationary Period

This job has an initial and promotional probationary period of 6 months, except as provided in KRS 18A.111.

If you have questions about this advertisement, please contact Helga Gilbert at helga.gilbert@ky.gov.