Wayfinder Family Services ensures that children, youth, and adults facing challenges always have a place to turn.

In exchange for your talent, Wayfinder offers an excellent benefits package, which includes the following:

• This role is eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Competitive salary - Sign-on bonus $1,500 Sign-on-Bonus!
• Flexible schedules depending on the position (some offering hybrid)
• Medical insurance with a $30 premium per paycheck coverage plan (employee-only)
• Dental insurance 100% employer paid for HMO coverage plan (employee-only)
• 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 4%
• 11 paid holidays per year and a generous paid time off policy
• Five winter holidays (between Christmas Eve & New Year's Day)
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Robust training opportunities: Shared Core Practice Model, Trauma-Informed Care, Evidence-based Practices
• Clinical Supervision for licensure

Location

This is an office-based position. The ideal candidate must be located located in the “South Bay” in San Jose, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Milpitas, or Fremont areas.

The primary purpose of your position is to provide specialized services to families of young children with vision impairments, birth through five years of age. The Visual Impairment Specialist (VIS) provides home instruction, lesson plans, and resource information and referral, advocates on behalf of the client family, and partners with parents and caregivers to empower them as advocates for their child. This position reports to the Regional Coordinator and the Program Director of Blind Babies Foundation.

Early Intervention Visual Impairment Specialist Responsibilities:

• Provides home visits to families, supporting parent/child interactions through developmentally appropriate play activities.
• Works with families to develop curriculum appropriate for a child with vision impairment.
• Provides family with information about visual diagnosis and effects of vision loss on early childhood development.
• Conducts developmental and functional vision assessments using observation, parent interview and formal assessment strategies.
• Provides social/emotional and crisis support to families as appropriate.
• Plans and implements family events, providing information and parent to parent support.
• Refers families to community resources.
• Actively collaborates with community-based providers of related services to overcome family barriers, such as language, culture and income.
• Consults with professional community on behalf of children and families (attend medical visits; IFSP, IEP sessions; program visits, etc.).
• Provides workshops and trainings for parents and professionals.
• Follows agency guidelines for participation in the National Registry of Early Childhood Vision Impairment Project.
• Provides monthly accounting of client contract hours.
• Provides information regarding program services to Development Department on request.

Required Education, Skills, and Experience:

• B.A.,B.S. degree required or M.A. degree in Special Education, Social Work, Child Development, Orientation and Mobility, Infant or Early Childhood, or Social Work.
• Teaching credential in Vision Impairment, Orientation & Mobility, Early Childhood Special Education, and/or a Certificate in Early Childhood Education preferred.
• Professional preparation in the education of children with vision impairments, orientation and mobility, infant or early childhood development, and/or social work.
• Experience as a home teacher.
• Experience working in multi-cultural situations preferred.
• Experience/training in Active Learning techniques of Lilli Nielsen preferred.
• Child and Family Counseling background.
• Bilingual (Spanish) required.

Additional Requirements

All employees must be fully vaccinated (including booster) against the COVID-19 virus as a condition of employment. Wayfinder will consider exemptions from this requirement as a reasonable accommodation due to medical contraindication, disability, or sincerely held religious belief or practice will be considered.

Wayfinder requires a thorough background screening process that includes fingerprinting and a health screening.

Wayfinder is committed to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion.

Wayfinder believes diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are essential to our excellence and our mission's execution. We value differences in the pursuit of inquiry and knowledge, mutual understanding, respect, trust, transparency, and cooperation. We are committed to creating a diverse and welcoming workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Individuals of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans and differently-abled persons are encouraged to apply.

Wayfinder is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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