Home Management Instructor - Freedom Center

Position: Home Management Instructor/Independent Living Skills

Alabama Freedom Center for the Blind (AFCB)

This position may be eligible for relocation assistance and/or on campus lodging options.                                

ABOUT ALABAMA INSTITUTE FOR DEAF AND BLIND (AIDB)

Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) is the world’s most comprehensive education, rehabilitation, and service program serving individuals of all ages who are Deaf, Blind, Deaf Blind, multidisabled, and their families. Founded in 1858, AIDB serves more than 30,000 infants, toddlers, children, adults, and senior citizens with hearing and vision loss throughout Alabama each year. Our services span a lifetime and include five campuses in Talladega, a statewide network of regional centers, Early Intervention services, traditional and nontraditional educational opportunities in residential, day, and outreach settings, and a manufacturing facility known as Alabama Industries for the Blind (AIB), the state’s largest employer of adults who are Blind. AIDB’s three K-12 schools — Alabama School for the Blind, Alabama School for the Deaf, and Helen Keller School of Alabama — provide specialized educational services that empower students to achieve their full potential. Our employees are among the organization’s most valuable assets and resources. We share a commitment to leveling the playing field for all. Our mission makes AIDB a unique place to work.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Alabama Freedom Center for the Blind (AFCB) Independent Living Skills/Home Management Instructor, you will have the opportunity to appraise students’ independent living skills through performance-based assessments and prepare lesson plans inclusive of sequential, meaningful instruction geared to the student's assessed needs; Individualized Employment Plan and/or Personal Futures Plan; functioning and motivational levels. You will teach students crisis management; meal planning/preparation, food storage/safety, and etiquette; daily personal care; daily household tasks; laundry skills; money-management skills and life skills relating to personal self, healthy relationships and social interactions. You will also track and assess each student’s daily progress. The role includes integrating other Structured Discovery curricula core components (Braille, Orientation & Mobility, Assistive Technology, Residential Living, etc.) into lessons and Independent Living Skills tasks; updating and enhancing curriculum; participating in strategic planning and program marketing/public relations; and presenting internally and externally. 

ABOUT YOU

You will play a vital role to ensure that AIDB’s culture is reinforced and that students and employees feel connected, recognized and proud to be a part of AIDB and AFCB. This will be accomplished as your role-model problem-solving skills, critical-thinking abilities, and the confidence in your belief that Blind people can experience limitless possibilities as they gain the same belief in themselves through their training experience.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Basic Qualifications

Option 1: 

• High school diploma or equivalent General Equivalency Diploma (GED) , graduation from a Structured Discovery center with a demonstrated belief in the Structured Discovery philosophy , and submission of Structured Discovery Diploma/Certificates with applicant materials. 

   

  Option 2: 

• Five (5) years of experience as a Rehabilitation Teacher for the Blind paired with a Master's degree. 
• Must complete 480 hours of Immersion training at an approved Structured Discovery Learning Center within the first twelve (12) months of employment. 
• Must complete an online graduate certificate program in National Certification in Rehabilitation Teaching of the Blind (NCRTB) within the first twenty-four (24) months of employment.

• Obtain and maintain NCRTB credentials from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB) within the first twenty-four (24) months of employment. 

   

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, Rehabilitation Teaching, Consumer Science, Social Work, Home Economics, or a closely related field. 
• National Certification in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind (NCRTB). 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Instruction & Training

• Core Life Skills: Teach students crisis management; meal planning/preparation, food storage/safety, and etiquette; daily personal care, daily household tasks, laundry skills; money-management skills and life skills relating to personal self, healthy relationships, and social interactions. 
• Curriculum Integration: Integrate other Structured Discovery curricula core components (Braille, Orientation & Mobility/Travel, Assistive Technology, Residential Living, etc.) into lessons and Independent Living Skills tasks. 
• Virtual Instruction: Ability to use online teaching tools for virtual learning when in-person classes cannot be offered. 

• Alternative Techniques: Proven ability to role model the use of alternative techniques by demonstrating problem-solving skills and critical-thinking while working with students. 

   

Administration & Observation

• Tracking: Track, assess, and record each student’s daily progress based on performance assessments. 
• Lesson Planning: Prepare lesson plans inclusive of sequential, meaningful instruction geared to the student's assessed needs, vocational goals, and functioning levels. 
• Curriculum Development: Update and enhance program curriculum. 
• Technological Literacy: Basic understanding and use of Assistive Technology; advanced skills in MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and email programs. 

Outreach & Development

• Marketing & PR: Participate in strategic planning and program marketing/public relations. 
• Presentations: Present training concepts internally and externally. 
• Specialized Training: Complete Basics of Blindness and Low Vision / Deaf 101 e-learning course within the first 12 months of employment.

Professional Development and Certifications

• Braille Proficiency: Demonstrated competency in BRAILLE by scoring 90% on the AIDB Braille Skills Assessment within the first twelve (12) months of employment. 
• Methodology Growth: Willingness to develop an understanding of alternate Structured Discovery methodologies for working with students with multiple disabilities. 

Upon offer of employment, the applicant must submit to a fingerprint background check at an agency designated and paid by AIDB. This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job goals, qualifications, and responsibilities, and the employee may be required to perform other related duties as assigned.

SALARY: $41,482 - $61,147 Scale MR Rank 5A (HS and Structured Discovery Program 

Completion)

                $45,483 - $68,986 Scale MR Rank 5B (BS- Class B Certification)

                $47,639 - $72,203 Scale MR Rank 5M (MS- Class A Certification)

(260 Days) Bi-Monthly Payroll - Direct deposit is required. 

This is an exempt position, and is not subject to overtime or compensatory provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Benefits: 

• Health, dental, and vision insurance available 

• Teachers Retirement System (TRS)

• Deferred compensation options available

• Paid time off

• 13 Paid Holidays

Deadline: