Special Education Specialist

Company Overview:

Since the establishment of the union of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, education has received the utmost attention of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, and his founding brothers. They believed that education was the cornerstone of building an enabled community that could keep pace with the advancements. Over the past decades, the wise leadership of the country was keen on building an educational system that matched its counterparts in the advanced nations. It harnessed for this purpose all the required capabilities, to achieve the country's agenda and national vision in this regard. Sincere efforts have also been made to develop education and adopt the best systems that achieve high-quality education outputs, to achieve the future visions and aspirations of the wise leadership.

Since investing in human capital is the main objective, the UAE has been keen on establishing the Ministry of Education and creating the appropriate environment to build pioneering Emirati schools, in terms of standards, form, and content they provide. It also made sure that such schools provided high-quality educational environment and owned the most technically advanced tools to be able to graduate generations that could pursue their university education confidently in higher education institutions to fulfil the requirements of labour market.

The MOE has also provided a smart learning system and high-quality digital platforms, side by side with the continuous development of school curriculums, according to national learning standards, assessment policy that is based on assessing for learning, and highest quality standards that match the best international practices. Various learning tracks, moreover, have been provided to support the capabilities and skills of students and achieve the country's strategy of encouraging the culture of creativity and innovation through providing the students with the skills of the 21st century and motivating them to have new ideas that relate to the reality they live in and foresee the future. This will eventually help in finding radical, sustainable solutions to the major issues, improving competitiveness, and supporting smart government in its attempts to keep pace with global advancements, advance education, and push it to broad horizons of excellence, leadership, and competitiveness.

Department Definition:

Developing and updating the frameworks of educational and training curricula and programs to ensure that they are aligned with the needs of students of determination and learning difficulties in an inclusive learning environment. It also supervises the preparation and implementation of individual educational plans, evaluation frameworks, and tests according to the approved tracks and graduation requirements. It works on preparing manuals, tools, and quality standards for the implementation of programs, and building the capacities of educational cadres in coordination with the concerned authorities. In addition, it provides technical support, monitors the quality of implementation, and promotes partnerships and enrichment programs to ensure continuous improvement

Job Definition:

The Special Education Specialist is responsible for preparing and reviewing studies and research in the field of specialization, and contributing to the management and analysis of relevant information at the state level for various sectors, while ensuring adherence to the scientific procedures and methodologies adopted in the implementation of research, and proposing practical recommendations based on results in a way that contributes to the development of policies and practices and improves the quality of services provided to the target groups.

Main Job Duties & Responsibilities:

• Implementing field follow-up of special education initiatives and events in schools, in order to ensure the achievement of the strategic objectives of the entity.
• Participating in the preparation of field studies and educational research in the field of specialization, in a way that contributes to the development of inclusive education services in the field .
• Identifying the needs of students of determination in terms of supporting devices, technologies, and supportive services, in addition to identifying the training needs of teachers.
• Training of subject and special education teachers and parents, in coordination with the Training and Professional Development Department, according to the actual needs.
• Evaluate and diagnose students with disabilities or learning disabilities who are candidates for special education programs and services.
• Following up on the activation and implementation of individual educational plans (in schools within the scope of work, and measuring the extent to which students' performance has improved based on them).
• Follow up on the results of the evaluation (preliminary, continuous, and final) of the students, and prepare appropriate treatment programs and plans.
• Providing technical and educational support to the immediate supervisor,
• and carry out any other relevant tasks assigned. Conducting field studies or educational or scientific research enriches the field and contributes to the development of performance.
• Spreading the culture of inclusive education and practices that support the independence and active participation of students in the school environment
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the line manager 

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in special education or education.

Master's or Ph.D. holders in minor tracks are preferred.

Work Experience:

Experience of at least (3-5) years for the citizen and (5-8) years for the expatriate, in the field of special education, if it includes specialized experience in one of the disability tracks

Experience in developing educational programs, individualized educational plans, and implementing inclusive education practices.

Experience in training educational staff and providing technical support to the field

Added advantages: Experience in the preparation of specialized guides or the development of curricula and educational adaptations are counted.

Specialized Skills   :

Familiarity with the concepts of special education and inclusive education.

Assessment and diagnosis skills for cases (learning disabilities and various disabilities).

Prepare, implement, and follow up on Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs).

Designing appropriate therapeutic programs and educational interventions.

Knowledge of the use of assistive technologies and tools to support learning.

Familiarity with behavior modification methods and inclusive classroom management.

Understand the adopted inclusive education policies and standards.

General Skills:

Effective communication skills with students, parents, and teachers.

Teamwork and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.