The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) may soon find relief in their recruitment process with help from legislation sponsored by State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) that passed out of the Senate Education Committee on March 14.

“The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired is a vital, specialized academic institution that serves a significant population of young people, ranging from infants to 22 years old; yet, strict state requirements stand in their way of filling key teaching positions,” said Tracy. “Senate Bill 698 is one solution to help the school hire the instructors they need to give their students the attention they deserve.”

ISVI provides a residential community and educational services for the blind and visually impaired to learn and adjust to self-sufficient living, and offers accredited instruction for pre-school, elementary and high school. Under Senate Bill 698, rehabilitation/mobility instructors and trainees at ISVI would be exempt from the present employee grading process required by the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) and the Personnel Code. By removing the CMS requirement, the legislation intends to ease and expedite the hiring process for ISVI, which currently suffers from understaffing.

The legislation will now move to the Illinois Senate floor for full consideration.