Teacher of the Visually Impaired .8 Needham High School

Needham Public Schools is an inclusive, dynamic, and multicultural community seeking an energetic, skilled, Teacher of the Visually Impaired to join our team. This is a .8 position. To enhance our goals of supporting every child, Needham Public Schools seeks candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This position will serve all the schools in the Needham Public School from preschool through age 22. 

About Needham Public Schools (NPS): NPS has a deep commitment to the success of our diverse students and families and to the professional accomplishments of its educators. Needham devotes itself to cultural proficiency, equity, and community collaboration to fulfill the vision of the Portrait of a Needham Graduate. This METCO district comprises 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 nationally-ranked high school serving approximately 5,500 students. NPS is committed to addressing equity in the district by focusing on improving academic performance for historically marginalized students and ensuring our schools are safe for every child and free of bias, bullying, and hurtful acts that demean and diminish. Read more about our equity work here.

Job Description:

The role of the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) is to provide direct and/or consultative special education services specific to vision loss. The TVI provides support to students, teachers, and parents and acts as a liaison with community services. The TVI works with the educational team by advising the team about ways of enhancing the student’s learning by adapting activities and materials to the student’s abilities.  

• The TVI will conduct Functional Vision Assessments to determine how much usable vision a student has to perform visual tasks. This assessment is initially conducted to determine the need for services from a teacher of students with visual impairments and to determine appropriate goals and level of support needed.
• The TVI will need to communicate with the team members on how the student's performance may affect their school performance by providing information on the student's learning style, utilization of visual information, and other strengths unique to individual students who are visually impaired.  The TVI will identify any goals and objectives in specialized areas related to the visual needs of the student. The TVI will also identify instructional methods and materials for meeting goals and objectives. 
• The TVI will determine which areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), a unique curriculum that addresses needs a student who is blind or visually impaired may have that are not addressed within the standard curriculum. Although not all students will have needs in all areas of the ECC, the areas of the ECC include: Compensatory, Functional and Communication Skills; Sensory Efficiency; Orientation & Mobility; Social; Independent Living; Recreation & Leisure; Use of Technology; Career & vocational; and Self Determination.

Education and Experience:

• Master’s Degree
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts licensure as a TVI

Application and Selection Procedure:

Please apply online. Applications will be considered only when a cover letter, resume, three letters of recommendation, license, and transcripts have been attached to your online application. All resumes will be screened and selected candidates will participate in a thorough interview process.

Compensation and Benefits: 

Please review the Unit A Contract and this page to learn more about employee compensation and benefits. 

The Needham Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, active military/veteran status, ancestry, genetic information, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, employment policies, and other administered programs and activities. In addition, students who are homeless or of limited English-speaking ability are protected from discrimination in accessing the course of study and other opportunities available through the schools.

Needham Public Schools has a strong commitment to equity. Candidates who also have a strong commitment to this work are encouraged to apply. For more information on our equity work please visit our equity website.

All positions are subject to the approval of the 2025-2026 Needham Public School budget by the Town of Needham.