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Location: Des Moines, IA
Salary Minimum: $55,016
Job Type: Full-time
Agency: 131 Iowa Department for the Blind
Job Number: 25-02256
Post Close Date: February 23, 2025
Point of Contact: Karly Prinds
To Apply: All candidates are strongly encouraged to attach a cover letter and resume to the application.
Job Description:
The Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) is seeking someone who is passionate about technology, loves to learn, enjoys creating curriculum and designing trainings, and enjoys helping people learn to use technology. We have an excellent team of smart and supportive professionals and want to add another talented instructor to our team. Our programs are based on a positive attitude toward blindness and a belief in the normality and competency of blind people.
Strong candidates will be adept problem-solvers who love to learn new technology, have a “can do” attitude, and can communicate clearly with individuals and small groups. IDB is happy to provide training in the required blindness skill areas and blindness specific access technology to candidates who demonstrate the communications skills required.
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
- Teach the use of Windows, MacOS, Microsoft Office, talkback, Voiceover, JAWS, NVDA, and other screen readers, printers, scanners, braille displays, OCR software and other common office applications and peripherals.
- Teach the non-visual use of smart phones, tablets, and other mobile technologies.
- Demonstrate and promote a positive attitude toward blindness amongst center students.
- Perform routine computer maintenance and troubleshoot common technical problems in the computer lab with assistance.
- Evaluate student progress and write progress reports, as well as case notes as needed.
- Participate fully in all center activities.
- Assist students in preparing and studying for the GED, as needed.
- Add to and update IDB’s open-source technology curriculum.
- Provide technology presentations or demonstrations to clients and Center staff.
- Provide information about and advocate for accessible electronic resources.
Essential functions of this position:
- Communicate effectively in person, on the phone, and in writing with clients, volunteers, partners, and the public.
- Communicate technical information in a manner understandable to nontechnical individuals.
- Research and teach oneself to use new and updated technology, locating training resources as appropriate.
- Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of non-visual access technologies-including screen access software, refreshable braille displays, braille embossers, tablets, smart phones, and make sound recommendations about which technologies should be used for specific situations and under what circumstances.
- Collaborate and test new and updated existing access technology training curriculum with other internal RTS trainers.
- Demonstrate and promote a positive attitude toward blindness amongst center students.
- Thorough knowledge and understanding of the agency's philosophy of blindness and the ability to implement this philosophy in work duties.
- Other duties as assigned.
It is the policy of the Department for the Blind to conduct background checks on all finalist candidates prior to any offer of employment.
This is a non-merit position with the Iowa Department for the Blind. Positions in this class are exempt from the screening and referral requirements of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources Enterprise.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in human service-oriented sciences, education, marketing or business and experience equal to three years of full time professional work;
OR
the equivalent of three years of full-time experience as a rehabilitation counselor or teacher shall be considered as qualifying provided the employee has successfully completed training to meet the certification criteria established by the agency;
OR
an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting the equivalent of one year of full-time professional work experience for each year of the required education to a maximum substitution of four years.
For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description. (Download PDF reader)
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