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Overbrook School for the Blind

Specialized education for visually impaired students

Intervener

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Entry
Associate's
Philadelphia, PA, USA
In Person
EducationSpecial Education & Learning Support

About the job

Requirements
  • Ability to learn middle-grade skills, basic alphabet Braille, and knowledge of a Braille machine or swing cell.
  • Ability to understand and implement behavior plans and interventions.
  • Ability to work with a team of professionals, including the family, classroom teacher, paraeducators, nurses, and therapists.
  • Proficiency in American Sign Language.
  • Ability to remain calm when a student is upset or aggressive.
  • Ability to lift at least 50 pounds with assistance and participate in two-person lifts.
Responsibilities
  • Provide direct support to a student with deafblindness throughout the instructional day, as determined by the student's Individualized Education Plan.
  • Assist the teacher with activities in and outside the classroom as stated in the student's Individualized Education Plan, including art and music, physical education, personal health and hygiene, lunch preparation, and lunchtime activities. No breaks are permitted during physical education classes or student lunchtime.
  • Provide a supportive environment in which students can learn.
  • Support the student in the water while in the Aquatic Center as assigned.
  • Perform morning and afternoon bus duty.
  • Participate in scheduled meetings and in-service training when requested or required.
Desired Qualifications
  • Two years of experience working with students who have deafblindness, autism, and behavior needs, including self-injury and aggression.
  • Associate degree or paraeducator credentials.
  • Training in behavior support, autism, and safety care.

About the company

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Overbrook School for the Blind

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Overbrook School for the Blind provides education and support for students who are blind, visually impaired, or facing other challenges at a 26-acre campus in West Philadelphia, serving about 180 students ages 3–21. It uses individualized IEPs aligned to PA core standards and the Expanded Core Curriculum, and combines low- and high-tech assistive technology with a full team of TVIs and specialists in CVI, plus related services like OT, PT, speech, orientation and mobility, and counseling. Outside campus, it runs an Early Intervention Outreach program for birth to age three and an International Program that trains teachers in Southeast Asia. The school distinguishes itself by having Pennsylvania’s largest TVI workforce, a broad integrated services team, a focus on CVI-informed instruction, and active international training and outreach.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Founded

1832

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 2026 brought $250,000 RACP funding for dining, transportation, and emergency upgrades.
  • The same grant funds a Maker Space and Work Experience Center for employability.
  • Greenhouse expansion and farm-to-table programming deepen hands-on learning and donor appeal.

What critics are saying

  • OSB relies on public grants; July 2026 RACP funding signals capital dependence.
  • Enrollment concentration in 180 campus students leaves one funding shock immediately disruptive.
  • If nearby districts expand inclusive services, OSB’s residential model loses relevance by 2028.

What makes Overbrook School for the Blind unique

  • Founded in 1832, OSB combines education, therapy, and residential supports on one campus.
  • OSB employs more Pennsylvania TVIs than any other school, plus CVI-trained specialists.
  • Its Southeast Asia training program extends OSB expertise beyond Philadelphia classrooms.

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Benefits

  • Tuition Reimbursement

Company News

Technical.ly
Dec 8th, 2022
Thriving Through Vision Loss: 5 Philadelphians On Finding Community, Good Work And Independence

When Katia Hadjeb-Rahman immigrated to Philadelphia with her family from Algeria, she had just turned 15 and spoke very little English, a common barrier for many new arrivals from other countries. But for Hadjeb-Rahman, that was only one hurdle. By the time she arrived here in 2012, she had already undergone two surgeries and several additional procedures under full anesthesia to treat her condition of congenital glaucoma. By the time she was diagnosed at age 2, she had already lost considerable vision. Now 25, married and a new mother, Hadjeb-Rahman has more than one answer for what it means to thrive: “If the definition is not based on environment but you as an individual making the most of it, then yes, I am thriving,” she said