The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) assists Pennsylvanians with disabilities to gain the skills necessary to live and work independently in their communities.

The ideal candidate will have an understanding of vision rehabilitation therapy; applying that knowledge to assist blind and visually impaired customers.

If you are interested in experiencing the satisfaction of public service while enjoying professional career growth, the Department of Labor and Industry wants you to apply!

Through a structured training program, this position's focus is to provide vision rehabilitation therapy to blind and visually impaired customers in individualized and group settings and teach coping skills and adaptive techniques to promote self-sufficiency and independent living.

This position also assesses referrals and interviews customers, develops an individualized service plan for each individual, and monitors and evaluates customer progress.

• 
  Full-time employment
• Work Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM; Monday - Friday; one hour lunch
• You will have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time. In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection. If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Pittsburgh.
• Note: Telework/onsite schedule is subject to operational need.

Qualifications:

• Minimum Experience and Training Requirements - Current enrollment in the final year of an accredited college or university bachelor's or master's degree or certificate program in rehabilitation teaching of the blind or visually impaired, vision rehabilitation therapy, teacher of the visually impaired, or education with a concentration in visual impairment.
• Necessary Special Requirement - Authorization by the college or university for the student to participate in the commonwealth's Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Intern program. Upon entering the internship, the student must be enrolled in the final semester of the appropriate degree or certificate program.
• PA residency currently waived for this title
• If selected for the intern program, you will be required to submit a completed participation form at a later date showing proof of enrollment in an accredited college/university, as well as the required credits.
• Do not submit resumes, cover letters, and similar documents. These documents will not be reviewed and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position or to determine your score. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
• Based on your answers to the application supplemental questions regarding education, you may be instructed to attach a copy of your college transcripts to your application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Must be able to perform essential job functions

Legal Requirements:

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law. Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports, including, but not limited to, PA State Police, Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI clearance.

Veterans: Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.employment.pa.gov/Additional%20Info/Pages/default.aspx and click the Veterans’ Preference tab or contact us at ra-cs-vetpreference@pa.gov.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS): 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals)

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.