SUPPLY INTERVENOR

Title: Supply Intervenor

Job Purpose:

Provides one-to-one instructional support to the student with deafblindness (combined loss of both hearing and vision), which allows the student to safely take part in, and benefit from existing educational programs and facilities within the school community, as well as fostering independence such that is appropriate to the student’s ability. Facilitates or provides access to communication between the student with deafblindness and other students, teachers, support staff, parents/guardians, consultants and others involved in the educational program, school and community.

Accountabilities

• FACILITATE COMMUNICATION: Provide intervenor services in a variety of settings throughout the school day to facilitate communication for students with deafblindess by relaying visual and instructional information, including subtleties and nuances that speech conveys, using a student’s preferred mode of communication, and student’s questions and replies to questions, encouraging direct interactions and facilitating communication between student and teacher, student and peers, etc. Use Frequency Modulation system (FM) as instructed by Hearing Resource, provide explanation and accommodations, specific to individual’s needs, during tests, while allowing student to provide own responses, and intervene by helping the student in understanding and following rules established by the school’s administration.

• IMPLEMENT PROGRAM: Provide student and class support to facilitate integration (e.g. prompting) and opportunities for learning under the direction of the classroom teacher in the regular and special education classrooms by providing strategies to help the student access the program developed by the teacher and in integrated classrooms, assisting the teacher(s) with preparation of activities to meet the instructional needs, adapting classroom activities, assignments and/or materials under the direction of the teacher for the purpose of supporting and reinforcing classroom objectives on a daily basis, prompting to use manipulatives and classroom charts, calendars systems, when and where appropriate, reading with student, using assistive devices and technology which the student uses within the program, maintaining professional boundaries, introducing, reviewing and reinforcing teacher selected concepts, vocabulary and grammatical constructs and ensuring comprehension, assisting student in composing written answers, or interpreting the student’s expressive answers in written form, providing activities/strategies to stimulate residual hearing and vision addressing sensory integration and changes in levels of functioning, and implementing goals outlined by various visiting professionals (such as occupational therapists, physio-therapists, orientation and mobility instructors, speech language pathologists, etc.).

• PREPARE MATERIALS: Request/obtain materials and information to meet instructional needs of the individual by striving to obtain necessary background information required to work with the student, enlarging, highlighting text, making documents more visually accessible, re-wording and re-typing text if necessary, ensuring materials are clear and easy to read, materials, scanning reading materials for use with technology, reviewing new vocabulary prior to lessons such as technical terms in various school subjects and as part of lessons, preparing calendar/schedule for each day, consulting with teacher(s) at start of school day in order to properly plan and prepare for the day’s activities, and ensuring all equipment is in proper working order for the upcoming day’s activities.

• ENSURE SAFETY: Ensure safety of the student by acting as a sighted guide, especially in unfamiliar environments, on uneven surfaces, in heavily trafficked areas such as crowded hallways, and ensuring pathways are clear, maneuvering wheelchairs, walkers, adapted tricycles, mobility devices in a safe manner while monitoring the environment for hazards, orienting student to his/her environment, providing close supervision of student during physical tasks, such as physical education, in accordance with the behavioural and safety plans and procedures for the student with Deafblindness, maintaining confidentiality, staying with the student with deafblindness during recess or student's visual or sensory breaks in the school and on the school grounds, during school trips, community outings and work placements, scanning for hazards/changes to the environment and alerting the student to such changes, hazards and/or sounds/alarms related to the safety of the environment.

• PERFORM ATTENDANT CARE DUTIES: Perform attendant care duties such as lifting, transferring, cleaning, feeding and toileting, tracking inventory of supplies related to personal care, and ensuring appropriate staff assistance is present and able to assist for personal care activities such as washing, lifting, transferring, toileting.

• CONSULT AND BUILD CAPACITY: Consult with and build capacity with itinerant teachers, teachers, Special Education Resource Teachers, other staff, and students as appropriate to help raise awareness about deafblindness, address issues related to adaptations for existing equipment, keep parties informed of any difficulties or challenges that would interfere with educational progress or access to the program, including collecting data for classroom teacher, administrators, special education team and other professionals, providing daily anecdotal reports of classroom activities for student, mentoring Intervenor students from George Brown College, attending monthly Intervenor meetings, providing staff capacity building, providing information and workshops, at staff meeting, educational conferences and case meetings, as requested, and acting as a contact for visiting professionals in terms of scheduling visits at appropriate times and locations that best serve the interests of the student with deafblindness.

Knowledge and Skills

• All forms of communication for communicating with deafblindness (American Sign Language, Signed Exact English, tactile signing, voice over, large print notes, Braille, concrete cues, tangible symbols, calendar systems, Total Communication, etc.)
• Knowledge of sociology, specific to the combined loss of vision and hearing and the impact on the individual, family and community as well as knowledge of the anatomy and physiology directly related to vision and hearing loss; and causes related to the loss of vision and/or hearing
• Sighted guide skills and specific instruction on how communication takes place simultaneously while travelling safely in a variety of environments
• Knowledge of and ability to apply practices, strategies and concept development skills specific to intervening with individuals with combined loss of vision and hearing from birth or early childhood (congenital).
• Knowledge of and ability to apply practices and strategies for individuals with combined loss of vision and hearing, later onset/after acquiring language (acquired).
• Knowledge of and experience with assistive devices and technology, such as hearing aids, FM systems, mobility equipment
• Knowledge of teachings specific to working with individuals who are medically fragile, combined with dual hearing and vision loss
• Ability to plan activities and programs for individuals with a combined loss of vision and hearing.
• Visual concentration skills and ability to sustain eye gaze to capture all information at all times
• Skills in Behaviour Management Systems, CPR and First Aid

• Communicate and collaborate effectively with parents, staff, students and the public

Education:

• Completion of Secondary School Graduation Diploma with a diploma for a recognized Intervenor for Deafblind Persons Program or a combination of education, training and experience deemed to be equivalent.

Experience

The DDSB is committed to equity and inclusion in the recruitment and hiring of qualified staff who reflect the diversity of our region. We encourage submissions from candidates who represent the various dimensions of diversity. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those to be interviewed will be contacted.