Jobs / Volunteering

“Volunteering for Maine AIRS is very rewarding, a service
that is as meaningful as it gets. Reading is the essence of
who I am. As a Maine AIRS volunteer, I can help keep the
light of reading shining for other people, as well.” -- SR
Job/Volunteer Opportunities
Job Openings Maine Airs Volunteer Opportunities
Residence and Recreation Volunteer Opportunities

Job Openings:

NEW! The Iris Network seeks VRT Interns:

The Iris Network, a statewide, client-centered nonprofit agency providing opportunities for people who are visually impaired or blind to attain independence and community integration, is seeking Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Interns. Based in Portland, Maine, with outreach offices in Bangor, Brewer, Ellsworth, Lewiston, Houlton and Saco, the agency’s staff of highly skilled professionals use state of the art methods and technology to deliver high quality, individualized education, training and support services to enable clients throughout the State of Maine to adapt to vision loss, retain independence and preserve quality of life.

The Iris Network employs a team of approximately a dozen highly trained Vision Rehabilitation Therapists and allied professionals who provide comprehensive vision rehabilitation services in client’s homes, work-places and some small-group trainings both on campus and in the community. Drawing on a full range of vision rehabilitation services, orientation and mobility training, home management, work-place support, access technology training, low vision services, personal adjustment counseling, social work services and support groups, our diverse team of nationally recognized professionals develops customized programs of vision rehabilitation services to meet each client’s individual needs throughout the State of Maine. The Iris Network also manages thirty independent apartments on the Portland campus and provides assisted living services to certain qualifying residents.

Interested internship candidates should contact Ruth Mlotek or Laura Vittorioso, Co-Directors of Vision Rehabilitation Services at The Iris Network.

rmlotek@theiris.org; tel.: (207)774-6273

lvittorioso@theiris.org; tel.: (207)284-4081

Click here for a printable Employment Application form

Maine Airs Volunteer Opportunities:

We invite you to consider becoming a volunteer reader for the Maine Audio Information and Reading service. Readers present local stories from statewide daily and weekly newspapers for listeners who are visually impaired, blind or print handicapped.

We broadcast from studios at 12 Acme Road in Brewer and at The Iris Network, 189 Park Avenue, Portland over the secondary audio program channels of MPBN. Our broadcasts reach listeners from Portland and Lewiston to Houlton and Presque Isle.

We seek readers who can commit to at least a one-hour on-air shift per week or be available for substituting for regular readers. Volunteers read in pairs, and spend about thirty minutes prior to airtime preparing the papers for broadcast. The Maine Reader offers opportunities to record books. We conduct a brief audition for each new reader prospect.

Our service is warmly received by listeners who otherwise would have little or no access to the news of their communities. Readers make a valuable contribution to helping individuals who are visually impaired or blind to live more independently.

The Iris Network
Maine Audio Information and Reading Service
12 Acme Road, Suite 104 Brewer, Maine 04412
207-989-0058

JOB TITLE: Maine AIRS Reader

JOB DESCRIPTION: Read daily and weekly Maine newspapers either live or recorded for broadcast over Maine AIRS.

TIME REQUIREMENTS: Preferred: 90 minutes per week as a regular reader; at least twice a month as a fill-in or back-up reader

SUPERVISION: Supervised by Director of Maine AIRS

Responsibilities:

1. Arrives at broadcast studio ½ hour before broadcast.

2. Using Maine AIRS guidelines, select, prepare and read articles, ads, obituaries and features from various Maine newspapers without editorializing.

3. Attempts to make printed word come alive without editorializing. 4. Records volunteer hours in time log and notifies Director of Maine AIRS of changes in address or phone numbers. 5. Notifies Maine AIRS in a timely manner if unable to fill shift. Qualifications:

Excellent reading and vocabulary skills. Enthusiasm for the printed word. Satisfactorily passes audition and vocabulary tests. High degree of discipline, motivation, and thoroughness.

For more information and an application, call 989-0058 or 800-715-0097 or click the following link to print out an application form. Return it to the address on the form.

Click Here for a printable Maine Airs Application Form

Residence and Recreation Opportunities:

Volunteer in our Residence or
Community Recreation Program

Volunteer in our residence or community recreation program as an activity assistant. Monthly, we offer a full range of recreational activities such as bowling, sporting events, walking, shopping and skiing. We invite anyone interested in helping with these or other activities to call Nancy Bennett for more information at 774-6273 or 1 800-715-0097.