Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Preamble

We, the rehabilitation teachers of Division XI of the association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), recognize our commitment to provide the highest quality of services to those individuals whom we serve. The purpose of our profession is to instruct individuals with visual impairments in the use of those compensatory skills and aids that will enable them to live safely, productively, interdependent, and up to each persons maximum potential. Our primary obligation, as rehabilitation teachers, is to our clients. In all of our relationships, we will protect our clients welfare and will diligently seek to assist our clients toward achieving their goals. While fulfilling this commitment, we rehabilitation teachers become responsible to our clients and their families, to our employers and the community in which we work, to our profession and other professionals in the field of human services; and to ourselves. We recognize that both our actions and in-actions affect the lives of those whom we seek to serve and we accept the responsibility and consequences of our actions and/or inactions. Defined by this Code of Ethics a rehabilitation teacher is a professional practicing in the public or private sector who evaluates, instructs, and guides a person with a visual impairment through an individualized plan of rehabilitation instruction designed to help that person carry out daily activities. These competencies encompass specific, identifiable evaluation and teaching skills and knowledge to enable the person with the visual impairment to develop and/or enhance sensory and kinesthetic capabilities, personal management skills, communication skills, indoor orientation, low vision utilization, and home management skills. In addition to the instructional areas listed, the rehabilitation teacher will be involved with assisting the client to understand their vision loss, and to facilitate the development of appropriate coping mechanisms.

1. Commitment to the Client

1.1 The professional rehabilitation teacher shall respect the worth, culture, and dignity of each individual. This includes exhibiting courtesy and temperance in situations of conflict.

1.2 The role of the rehabilitation teacher as an advocate is to protect and promote the welfare of persons with visual impairments for the purpose of assisting them to achieve their desired levels of independence.

1.3 The purpose of confidentiality regarding client information, is to safeguard facts, data, and professional judgements that are obtained in the course of practice. Disclosures of information are restricted to what is necessary, relevant, and verifiable with respect to each client's right to privacy. Professional files, reports, and records shall be maintained under conditions of security.

1.4 The rehabilitation teacher shall obtain the informed consent of the client before inviting others to observe a lesson, having the client photographed or recorded, or involving the client in a research study in which personal identifying information would be gathered and disseminated.

1.5 The rehabilitation teacher shall take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of the client and will seek to provide an instructional environment that is conducive to learning.

1.6 Prior to the commencement of instruction, the rehabilitation teacher will seek to obtain and evaluate information that is relevant to the client's rehabilitation program.

1.7 Decisions regarding the continuation or discontinuation of instruction shall be made with each client, respecting the rights of the clients to participate in decisions regarding their instructional programs, and shall be based upon objective evaluation of the clients' needs and abilities to benefit from defined services.

1.8 The rehabilitation teacher shall seek, where appropriate, the support and involvement of the clients' support system in promoting an individual client's instructional objectives and in advancing continued success. This includes sharing information with the family, or others, that will facilitate the client's welfare and independence, but not communicating information which violates the principles of confidentiality.

1.9 The rehabilitation teacher will relate to all clients in a professional manner during the clients rehabilitation program, and not engage in personal or private relationships that would jeopardize the rehabilitation process.

2. Commitment to the Community

2.1 The rehabilitation teacher, when using any specialized knowledge or abilities to contribute to community education, seeks to exhibit the highest standard of rehabilitation practices and client services, avoiding exaggeration, sensationalism, superficiality and other misleading activities; and to indicate how the community can become involved in the educational and/or rehabilitation process.

2.2 The rehabilitation teacher shall not engage in any public education activity that results in the exploitation of the client and/or the client's family.

3.Commitment to the Profession

3.1 The rehabilitation teacher should seek full responsibility for the exercise of professional judgment related to instruction.

3.2 The rehabilitation teacher has the responsibility to contribute to the growing body of knowledge, expertise, and skills of the profession.

3.3 The rehabilitation teacher is encouraged to support individual and public efforts to advance services to disabled persons through education , legislation, personal commitment, and improved agency practices and procedures. This includes promoting understanding and acceptance of current rehabilitation programs and past achievements in the fields; and participation in local, state, regional, and national organizations that are directly related to the profession of rehabilitation teaching.

3.4 The rehabilitation teacher should strive to provide fair treatment and support to all members of the profession.

3.5 The rehabilitation teacher shall make reasonable effort to oppose incompetent, illegal , or unethical behavior, and report such behavior to the proper regulatory bodies.

4. Commitment to Colleagues and other Professionals

4.1 The rehabilitation teacher is expected to facilitate and enhance team efforts, on a professional level, and to share specialized knowledge, resources, experience, concepts, and skills. In situations where team decisions are made, the rehabilitation teacher is expected to contribute relevant information and abide by the team decision.

4.2 The rehabilitation teacher should avoid assuming responsibilities which are better provided by other professionals. Referrals to other professionals shall be done in agreement with the client and the client's service plan.

4.3 The rehabilitation teacher responds factually when requested to write a letter of recommendation for a colleague seeking a professional position.

5. Commitment to Professional Employment practices

5.1 The rehabilitation teacher should adhere to the policies and regulations of the employer and should abide by the terms of a contract or agreement, whether verbal or written, unless the job duties include behavior which violates the Code of Ethics. The rehabilitation teacher should not accept a position where proven principles of rehabilitation teaching practices are compromised or abandoned.

5.2 The rehabilitation teacher should demonstrate concern and appreciation of the heritage, values, and principles of the employing agency.

5.3 The rehabilitation teacher providing additional professional services through private contracts, shall avoid engaging in outside employment or other outside activity which is incompatible with the full and proper discharge of job duties and responsibilities, or which constitute a conflict of interest.

5.4 The rehabilitation teacher may not solicit or directly accept a gift, subscription, advance, rendering, or deposit of money, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan, or anything of significant value from a person, business, or organization with whom they have official relationships. This does not preclude normal business practices which enable the rehabilitation teacher to maintain on-going services.

5.5 The rehabilitation teacher shall avoid distributing, or cause to be distributed, any advertisement, materials, or samples aimed at soliciting referrals for personal profit.

6. Commitment to Private Bussiness Practice

6.1 The rehabilitation teacher in private practice will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws which establish and regulate business practices and shall refuse to participate in practices that are inconsistent with the rules or standards established by regulatory bodies regarding the delivery of rehabilitation to clients teaching services.

6.2 No person shall be refused service by the rehabilitation teacher on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, or disability.

6.3 The rehabilitation teacher shall avoid causing misrepresentation of professional credentials or competencies.

6.4 The rehabilitation teacher in private contracting is encouraged to carry professional liability insurance protection.

6.5 No rehabilitation teacher shall effectuate or participate in the wrongful removal of professional rehabilitation files or other materials.

6.6 When asked to comment on cases being actively managed by another rehabilitation practitioner and/or agency, the reviewer shall make every reasonable effort to conduct an in-person evaluation before rendering a professional opinion.

6.7 Competitive advertising of services and products shall be factually accurate. The rehabilitation teacher shall promise or offer only those services or results which there is reason to believe can be provided.

6.8 The rehabilitation teacher shall establish a fee for private contracting in cooperation with the contracting agency that is consistent with the reasonable and customary rate of that particular geographic region.

6.9 The rehabilitation practitioner shall not enter into fee arrangements which would be likely to create a conflict of interest.

6.10 The individual rehabilitation teacher shall not behave in such a manner as to use the position to influence or cause the recipient of services to name them as a beneficiary of a will, insurance policy, or other assets as compensation for services or personal profit.

Accepted July 23, 1990 in Washington DC by Division XI

Approved by AER International Board, April, 1991