Employment Opportunities
Career as a service provider
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides mobility training to people with vision impairment. Training programs are conducted in the community and aim to give people the skills to move around independently with safety and confidence. The majority of Client Services staff are Orientation & Mobility Instructors and some of these have further specialised to complete their training as Orientation & Mobility (Guide Dog) Instructors. As the ratio of staff suggests, most of our services are provided to Orientation and Mobility clients who may never become Guide Dog Users.
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Instructor
Orientation and Mobility is a career in itself. Most clients currently receive training from an Orientation & Mobility Instructor prior to applying for a Guide Dog. Orientation and Mobility Instructors teach people to travel safely, efficiently and effectively through their environment. Mobility strategies include human guide, use of a long cane, support canes, identification canes and electronic aids.
Orientation and Mobility (Guide Dog) Instructor
The more commonly recognised mobility aid is a Guide Dog. Orientation & Mobility (Guide Dog) Instructors train specially selected dogs that have been raised through the Puppy Raising Program. The Puppy Raising scheme aims to socialise the young dogs in an environment where they become familiar with traffic, young children, other animals and so on. After careful assessment and selection each dog is put through an intensive Guide Dog training program which lasts five months. The dogs are trained to guide people with little or no sight through all likely independent travel situations.
After initial training, the dogs are carefully matched with clients and further training is undertaken for a period of four to six weeks. A client may train with his or her dog either within their home area, or take part in a regional training course. Support and training is available to the client throughout the dog's working life, including regular follow up checks, to ensure that a high standard of mobility is maintained. The instructor undertakes all of these different facets of the job on a regular basis.
Instructor training extends over a number of years, with the instructor remaining a full-time employee. To qualify as an Orientation & Mobility (Guide Dog) Instructor a person needs to the complete the Guide Dog Module course. This is only available to instructors employed by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. The instructor must also already hold a qualification in Orientation & Mobility, typically a post-graduate degree. The latter enables students to gain a thorough understanding of the theory and principles of mobility training, as well as recognising the needs of people with visual disabilities. The Guide Dog Module course is completed over a number of years, with the instructor attending modules on a block release basis.
Personal requirements
Instructors spend most of their time training people to move around in their environment safely, and less time actually training dogs. They must enjoy working with a cross section of the community including people of all ages and backgrounds. Orientation and Mobility programs can take place anywhere a person needs to travel on a regular basis such as orientation to a new shopping centre, catching public transport, travelling to their favorite recreational activities, to work or school. Each program is designed to meet the needs of the individual.
A mature approach and excellent communication skills are essential. Above all, applicants must be sensitive and responsive to the needs and preferences of the service user.
The job involves considerable travel both in Sydney and throughout New South Wales and the ACT.
Education and training requirements
Tertiary qualifications in Psychology or Education are preferred and a post-graduate course specialising in Orientation and Mobility is a requirement.
There are a few universities that run courses specialising in Orientation and Mobility. These courses do not run every year and you would need to contact the university to ascertain availability of places. The courses are usually run either through the health sciences, vision sciences or education departments of the universities. The University of Newcastle, through Renwick College (Phone [02] 9872 0303), offers a Masters course, usually beginning every second year.
You should understand that completion of any of these courses does not guarantee a job with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. You should also consider that other Guide Dog organisations in Australia and overseas may have different educational and training requirements to the above.