Teacher of the Visually Impaired

ABOUT THRIVE THERAPIES

Thrive Therapies Group is a pediatric healthcare organization on a mission to revolutionize the care of children with disabilities and those facing barriers to access. We provide results-driven services and intelligent tools to support children’s development, well-being, and health. At the heart of this mission are the people who change the trajectories of children’s lives. We work for them.

We work exclusively in K–12 schools — because school is where clinical care becomes transformative. Roughly half of all children identified with a disability receive their services in schools, not in healthcare settings. For many of those children, the school-based clinician is the care. Thrive is built around that reality.

We work exclusively with historically under-resourced, neurodiverse K–12 communities. Equity isn’t a tagline — it’s the core of why we exist. Our school partners request Thrive by name because they want better outcomes for students with disabilities.

WHAT MAKES THRIVE THERAPIES DIFFERENT

OUR MISSION

There are organizations that place clinicians in schools. Thrive is something different. We are a pediatric healthcare organization built around a singular belief: that school is where clinical care becomes transformative — that a therapy goal in a clinic is a therapy goal, but a therapy goal in a school becomes a friendship on the playground, a kid who feels they belong, a child who gets to participate in the full arc of childhood. Everything we build — our technology, our workload model, our clinical community — exists to protect that work and the clinicians who deliver it.

THE WORKLOAD MODEL

Thrive uses a workload model that accounts for the full scope of TVI work — FVEs, LMAs, direct instruction, materials adaptation, and consultation — sized to be sustainable for the full school year.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Our AI-powered tools were built by clinicians who were tired of losing evenings to documentation. They handle evaluation report generation, session notes, paperwork, and progress summaries — and they give our clinicians 10+ hours back every week. The tools are continuously improved based on clinician feedback. They belong to you as much as anyone.

THE CLINICAL COMMUNITY

You have a community here and are never alone. You have clinical supervision through a role-alike leader, quarterly professional development, monthly communities of practice, and peers across the organization you can reach every day.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Thrive TVI in the Greater Chattanooga, TN region, you will provide specialized instruction and support to students K–12 with visual impairments — including students who are blind, low vision, or deafblind — within the school setting. You will evaluate functional vision and learning media, develop IEP goals targeting compensatory academic skills and expanded core curriculum (ECC) needs, and consult with school teams to ensure full educational access. You are a full member of the community.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

EVALUATION & ELIGIBILITY

• Conduct functional vision evaluations (FVEs) and learning media assessments (LMAs) to determine how a student’s visual impairment affects educational access and identify optimal learning media

• Assess expanded core curriculum (ECC) needs across all nine domains

• Write evaluation reports that are educationally relevant, legally defensible, and accessible to IEP team members and families

• Participate in eligibility determination meetings and translate functional vision findings for educational planning purposes

IEP DEVELOPMENT & DIRECT INSTRUCTION

• Develop individualized IEP goals targeting compensatory academic skills, braille literacy, assistive technology proficiency, and expanded core curriculum domains

• Provide direct instruction in braille (Unified English Braille), large print adaptation, and use of low vision devices as appropriate to each student’s visual profile

• Teach students to use assistive technology for visual access — including screen readers (JAWS, NVDA), refreshable braille displays, magnification software, and video magnifiers

• Adapt and modify instructional materials in accessible formats (braille, large print, tactile graphics, digital accessible formats) for student use across all academic areas

• Maintain accurate, timely service logs and progress notes in compliance with state documentation requirements

COLLABORATION & CONSULTATION

• Consult with general and special education teachers on visual accommodations, classroom environmental modifications, and accessible instructional materials

• Coordinate with Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists on student travel training, environmental access, and ECC goal alignment

• Partner with school psychologists, SLPs, OTs, and special education teachers on integrated IEP teams

• Train paraprofessionals and classroom staff on supporting students with visual impairments

• Communicate with families about student vision needs and upcoming IEP decisions

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Visual Impairment Education or Special Education with a TVI specialization

• State certification or licensure as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI); ACVREP certification preferred or required by state

• Active state certification in good standing, or documented initiation of transfer prior to start date

• Proficiency in Unified English Braille (UEB); ACVREP Braille Literacy certification preferred

• Knowledge of IDEA, expanded core curriculum for students with visual impairments, and functional vision assessment methodology

PREFERRED

• 1+ years of TVI experience in a school-based setting

• Certification in Orientation and Mobility (COMS) — dual-certified candidates strongly preferred

• Experience with deafblind students and multisensory impairment (MDVI) populations

• Familiarity with assistive technology for visual access

COMPENSATION STRUCTURE

Compensation is paid over 10 months, aligned to the school-year calendar. All figures below reflect the Greater Chattanooga, TN market.

BENEFITS OFFERINGS

HEALTH COVERAGE — AT NO COST TO YOU (W-2 Employees Only)

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance — Thrive covers 100% of employee premiums

• Coverage begins day one

• Choice of HSA-eligible high-deductible plan or traditional PPO; nationwide PPO network

• Dependent and family coverage available

• 401(k) with up to 5% company match

• Optional voluntary benefits: supplemental life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and FSA

TIME OFF & SCHEDULE (W-2 Employees Only)

• School-year calendar — school holidays off, amounting to 30+ paid days annually

• 3 PTO and 3 Sick days

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS (All Employees)

• Malpractice and professional liability insurance — fully covered by Thrive; no personal policy required

• Quarterly professional development led by clinical leadership — school-based, substantive, and paid

• Paid Summer Intensive — pre-year clinical PD that brings the full Thrive team together annually

• No non-compete agreement — your professional mobility is yours to keep

• State TVI certification renewal and ACVREP dues reimbursed annually

  APPLY TODAY

  [email protected]  ·  thrivetherapiesgroup.com/careers  ·  615-652-2344