Student Support Counsellor – Blind Program

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The W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind is a community-based School for blind, deafblind and visually impaired students, under the Ministry of Education, Provincial Schools Branch with the tradition and reputation for meeting the academic, personal, social, emotional and developmental needs of the individual children. The residential program is an extension of the school program for students who do not live close enough to access daily transportation.

Academic and residential programs support each other in the provision of a comprehensive curriculum. The school principal and residence manager work together toward a successful experience for all students. Learning continues after the daily academic program in residential programs that promote:
• Language & communication
• Life skills
• Social skills
• Independence

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of students who are Blind, Deafblind and Visually Impaired? Do you have a background in child development, experience in a child care related field and the ability to facilitate effective programs for students who are visually impaired? If so, this career opportunity with the Ministry of Education, Provincial Schools Branch may be of interest to you.

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About the job

• Provide supervision, guidance, intervention and instruction for blind, visually impaired students in planned and
organized programs in a residential setting;
• Plan, organize and implement customized individual and group programs designed to meet the personal, social, emotional and developmental needs of blind, visually impaired students using a multi-disciplinary approach;
• Supervise, guide and instruct blind, visually impaired residential students;
• Provide sound physical care and maintain a safe/secure environment for residential students.

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• Community college certificate and/or equivalent training, education and working experience in a child related field;
• Current First Aid, CPR and Crisis Prevention Intervention and/or Behaviour Management Training or equivalent.

Skills and Qualifications

• experience working with blind, visually impaired individuals;
• demonstrated ability to facilitate effective individualized developmental, social/life skill programs to meet the needs of visually impaired individuals/students who may have additional challenges;
• knowledge of orientation and mobility needs of visually impaired individuals;
• knowledge of relevant legislation/policies/procedures/guidelines/practices that address student care and safety;
• excellent communications skills to communicate effectively with students, parents, staff and other professionals;
• sound judgment and problem solving skills;
• ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team;
• ability to lift up to 25 pounds to assist with students transfers;
• willingness and ability to work shifts.

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Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service Employment Screening Checks Policy, the top candidate(s) may be required to provide a general or enhanced screening check. Please refer to the Additional Information / Address section above on this job advertisement to determine the screening check that is required for each position.
  
  A general screening check includes a criminal record check and if applicable, fingerprint verification at your own expense. An enhanced screening check includes a criminal record check and if applicable, fingerprint verification at your own expense and permission for the Negotiations & Security Branch , Employee Relations Division to conduct any specific screening as indicated in the Additional Information / Address section above.
  
  A record of a Criminal Code and/or other federal offence record(s) does not automatically mean you will be ineligible for the position. The screening check results will only be reviewed and evaluated by the Negotiations & Security Branch for the purpose of making a clearance decision. The details of an individual's screening check will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Screening check records will be maintained by the Negotiations & Security Branch and kept strictly confidential.

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

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