Jobs for People with MS: National MS Society

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Building: Wien Hall
• Salary Range: $80,000 - $88,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Accessibility Services, and in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The Assistive Technology (AT) Manager will have primary responsibility for the implementation and evaluation of assistive technology materials, accessible technology and other related accommodation services. The AT Manager will oversee a high volume of alternative format text requests, assess student need, determine appropriate assistive technology, and conduct intake meetings for students with a wide range of disabilities. The incumbent will manage technical and computing support for approximately 1,500 accommodated alternate format and technology exams annually, as well as oversee asynchronous closed captioning and audio-description accommodations for the department. The incumbent will serve as the subject matter expert on digital accessibility responsibilities within the department and will play a key role in promoting equitable access to Columbia's digital course materials and learning environments, serving as a primary point of contact for students, faculty, administrators, and service providers.

This is an essential onsite role that requires occasional evenings and weekend hours. Some hybrid work options may be considered.

Responsibilities

Alternate Format Course Materials (45%)

• Oversees alternatively formatted materials for students with qualifying disabilities. This includes planning and developing standards and workflows to ensure students receive legally mandated accommodations in accordance with state and federal laws.
• Manages high volume of alternate format/electronic text requests and provides conversion of assessments, print materials, textbooks, and other readings to alternative formats. provide scanning and editing services/file remediation, convert hard copy text into appropriate digital formats.
• Utilizes hardware and software applications to convert books and files to alternative formats, including but not limited to large print, Word documents, accessible PDFs, Braille-ready files, and Kurzweil-generated audio files.
• Remediates or converts documents into accessible formats based on student accessibility needs.
• Provides consultation, training, and troubleshooting to students in both alternatively formatted materials and assistive technologies.
• Supports assistive technology exam accommodations such as: audio components to music exams, computer hardware, file/format manipulation, and file conversions.
• Manages department digital library and maintains a database of strategies for adapting informational and instructional materials into formats that can be readily accessed by persons with disabilities.
• Oversees asynchronous closed captioning and audio-description accommodations for the department, including creating, editing, editing captioning of audiovisual materials for traditional and/or online delivery and working with third-party providers.

Accessible Technology Support (35%)

• Evaluates the assistive technology needs of students with disabilities and provide technical assistance in selecting appropriate software and/or hardware that addresses their technology-related accommodations and ensure compatibility with their academic technologies.
• Conducts on-going needs assessment and evaluations to determine the effectiveness of technology and to make recommendations for future technological needs that will enhance student access.
• Initiates ideas and solutions and identify resources and best practices in working with students with assistive technology needs.
• Identifies challenges and barriers that students with disabilities (visual, auditory, physical, and cognitive) often experience in the online course environment, provides recommendations for course design and delivery, and provides an action plan to make improvements and increase accessibility.
• Evaluates the functioning of assistive devices when not in use by students and staff to ensure high quality of service.
• Coordinates the installation, configuration, and maintenance of various adaptive equipment and technologies, including off-site clinical and internships, for students with a wide range of disabilities, including but not limited to visual, hearing, physical, and learning disabilities.
• Provides technical assistance to faculty in creation or remediation of course materials for accessibility compliance including video captioning.
• Contributes to the ongoing development and modification of needs in assistive technology and academic technologies.

Staff Management & Administrative (15%)

• Hire, train and supervise part-time casual student staff who will produce captions, create alternate/ accessible formats, and deploy assistive technologies.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of AT Coordinator, including setting yearly goals, priorities, and objectives, identify professional development opportunities and high standards for professionalism and service delivery.
• Develops training materials and presents workshops to educate instructors on accessibility solutions to provide instructional content in the most accessible formats.
• Provides ongoing training to students, faculty, and staff in the use and maintenance of adaptive software and hardware.
• Assists in the purchase of assistive technology for the department, including site-licensing and service maintenance agreements.
• Monitors student use of assistive technology devices and maintain record on service delivery and usage.
• Ensure departmental technological resources are in good working order, maintain inventory of department assistive technology including both hardware and software. Ensure tracking and return of all borrowed AT devices by students.
• Work closely with the Disability Services team. Provide consultation, guidance, and compliance related information to staff, faculty when digital accessibility compliance is relevant.
• Stay abreast of best practices and maintain awareness, legal framework understanding, and overall knowledge base of accessibility compliance as it relates to assistive technology as well as digital accessibility
• Build rapport with faculty to have a presence in classrooms to ensure certain technologies, digital course materials and learning environments are equitable and accessible.

Performs other duties as assigned. (5%)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or its equivalent required.
• Minimum of three years of experience with assistive technology (software and hardware) or related.
• Previous experience working with individuals with disabilities.
• Ability to provide innovative and creative assistive services to individuals with disabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced and service-oriented environment.
• Strong understanding of digital accessibility, standards and remediation methods.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal, listening, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to learn new computer systems.
• Must be able to train individuals in the use of adaptive systems as well as effectively communicate technical and complex information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with commonly used assistive technologies, including Kurzweil, Read&Write, Speechify, JAWS, Glean, Dragon Professional, and other similar assistive technology software in addition to proficiency using Microsoft Office.
• Experience with a wide array of assistive technologies, including alternate format conversions.