The Access and Assistive Technology Coordinator plays a critical role in facilitating access and an array of accommodations and supports provided by Access and Disability Services (ADS) and Strategies, Organization, and Achievement Resources (SOAR) within the division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This position requires the administrative, technological, and operational skills necessary to facilitate equitable access for the 25% of Dickinson students with disclosed disabilities.
Primary responsibilities include: (1) identifying access barriers and addressing them; (2) managing all aspects of implementing note-taking and digital accessibility accommodations; (3) supporting the accommodation and inclusivity needs of students with severely disabling conditions; (4) reviewing disability documentation to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations; (5) researching, analyzing, procuring, and training in the use of rapidly emerging assistive technology for students with disabilities such as reading disorders, blindness, deafness, and those with limited to no use of their hands; and (6) providing students with strategic time management and academic strategy supports.
This position reports to the Dean and Executive Director of ADS and SOAR and requires a great deal of autonomy, as most tasks will be executed without direct supervision. The Access and Assistive Technology Coordinator must attain and maintain a thorough understanding and applicability of disability law such as the ADA, as failure to properly execute what is required under Office for Civil Rights could have serious ramifications for students as well as the college.
Essential Functions:

• Assess all aspects of college life (including academics, dining, housing, recreation, campus events, entry to buildings, etc.) and identify physical, material, and operational barriers that limit access to students with any type of disability, and would place the college at risk if those barriers are not remediated. Once identified, collaborate with campus partners to address them. Examples include…
  
• working with the Department of Public Safety and Enterprise Risk Management to determine best practices in emergency situations for supporting students who use wheelchairs;
• conducting assessments with Dickinson’s ADA Coordinator and Facilities Maintenance team to identify buildings, classrooms, event spaces, dorms, offices, dining facilities, public bathrooms, etc. to determine what may be either partially or fully inaccessible to those with physical disabilities; and
• collaborating with First Year Orientation committee to ensure that all events are inclusive of students with limited mobility, blindness, autism, hearing impairments, dietary restrictions, etc.
Ensure the college’s ADA compliance obligation to implement accessible format and note-taking accommodations for over 250 students with cognitive, psychosocial, medical, developmental, and/or physical disabilities by: managing the loaning of smart pens, facilitating the electronic sharing of thousands of class notes, transcribing recorded lectures, procuring texts in alternative formats and related licensure, and training students on the use of text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and note-taking, and other applications. Keeping abreast of rapidly emerging tools in assistive technology and implementing highly efficient processes are critical to the incumbent’s ability to manage requests, maintain inventory, oversee note-taker compliance, facilitate student usage of the accommodation, and resolve technical problems encountered by students and professors alike. Effective and frequent collaboration and communication with campus partners in Enterprise Systems and Academic Technology is essential.

• Provide necessary academic supports to all students who have profound and impactful disabilities such as students who are blind, deaf, require a service dog, have limited or no use of their legs and/or hands, experience seizures, etc. Examples of required tasks include:
  
• Engage in initial and regular check-ins with each of these students and their professors to ensure that accommodation-related needs are being met;
• Ensure that assigned texts, LMS pages, assessments, and all course materials (including information provided visually, auditorily, in print, etc.) are in accessible formats;
• Attract, interview, hire, train, schedule, and supervise aides needed to assist students with classroom work, assessments, and out-of-class assignments; and
• Facilitate independent access wherever possible by researching, analyzing, procuring, and trialing assistive technology, and providing students with training on its use.
• Determine necessary, reasonable and appropriate disability accommodations by reviewing students’ neuropsychological assessments, psychoeducational evaluations, and/or medical documentation, along with students’ testimonials of access barriers. Create summaries of critical diagnostic, developmental, and assessment information, along functional limitations to equal access in the housing, dietary, mobility, academic and extracurricular environments.

Facilitate access for students and minimize risk for the college by continuously keeping abreast of best practices in the field, changes to compliance with disability law, and new developments with assistive technology tools and strategies in a rapidly growing and emerging field. The Disability Access and Assistive Technology Coordinator must achieve this by reviewing reputable list serv posts, attending conferences, reading case law, and participating in training opportunities to ensure that accommodation practices and technical skills are in line with the latest developments. Evaluate current student needs, and project future needs and costs to recommend expenditures for equipment, training, and professional development. Regularly monitor trends and best practices related to disability statutes and share with the ADS team any recent developments and noteworthy changes to legal obligations in higher education under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, regulations promulgated under the Fair Housing Act, and case law established by the Office for Civil Rights and the US Department of Justice.

• Facilitate support for students conveyed to the office of SOAR (Strategies, Organization, and Achievement Resources) – which may include personal requests, as well as referrals by professors, the Wellness Center, the CARE team, coaches, or other campus partners. Identify student workers to hire to be Time Management Strategists and train them in how to conduct one-on-one time management and study strategy sessions. Determine who would be most suitable to work with students in need. Co-manage the SOAR website and oversee the preparation, maintenance, and distribution of SOAR-related handouts (such as semester calendars, guidance documents, and workshop promotional materials.) Conduct SOAR time management, study and test-taking strategies, and other workshops and presentations for the general student population.

Bachelor’s Degree – Assistive Technology, Occupational Therapy, Disability Studies, Psychology, Haman Services, Law, Social Work, or Liberal Arts
5-8 years work experience
The Access and Assistive Technology Coordinator must have experience and skills related to facilitating supports for individuals with disabilities, as well as a demonstrated interest and ability to research, identify, and train others in solutions to accessibility barriers.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as excellent organizational and technological skills are required. Critical is a demonstrated ability to prioritize well and manage diverse and complex tasks for a fast-paced office.
Also essential is a high degree of computer competency (including managing databases, using software for problem-solving, and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, Word, Forms, and Outlook), as well as a demonstrated interest and ability to learn new software.
In addition, the preferred candidate will have experience working with students in higher education, the ability to apply the principles of occupational therapy to an academic setting, and knowledge of or related to the following:

• Higher education enterprise management systems
• Website content management
• Learning management systems (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, etc.)
• Video production software
• Software for the blind (e.g., JAWS/NVDA)
• Dictation and read-aloud applications
• Note-taking applications
• Smartpens
• WCAG standards and use of accessibility checkers
• Creating closed captions, audio descriptions and alternative text
• Accessible document formats (e.g., ePub, Daisy, Braille)
• Tactile graphic kits and embossers
• Braille embosser and labeling machines

No

No

No

Monday – Friday 8:30 – 4:30 (flexible)

8

40

06/17/2024

05/10/2024

No

No

Full Time

12 month full-time (52 weeks)

Not Applicable

The College is committed to building a representative and diverse faculty, administrative staff, and student body. We encourage applications from all qualified persons.