5136 Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center

POSITION IDENTIFICATION

TITLE Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center

CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 5136

GRADE 44

CLASSIFICATION Exempt

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR   Deputy Compliance Officer

GENERAL FUNCTION

The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center (ATC) is responsible for collaborating with members of the campus community to proactively create usable, equitable, and inclusive learning environments through the utilization of technology. The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center serves as the primary contact for access technology referrals for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities experiencing barriers in their full participation in University programs and services by evaluating requests for access technology and assessing alternative methods of accommodation in conjunction with the student or employee and the appropriate disability resource referral source.  The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center consults regarding the evaluation, installation, and ongoing maintenance of access technology devices provided by the University and used by students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center ensures effective daily operation of access hardware and software on all campuses, including problem determination and resolution. The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center consults, develops, implements, and maintains a system-wide training agenda in the area of access technology for students, faculty, staff, and administration. The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center oversees access technology in labs and supervises student staff and graduate assistants.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in disability studies, access technology, rehabilitation engineering, special education, vocational rehabilitation, physical therapy, or other related professional field is required.  Professional-level certification in the areas of assistive technology, rehabilitation engineering, vocational evaluation, or work adjustment from a nationally recognized organization affiliated with one or more of these fields is preferred. A Master’s degree in access technology, disability studies, rehabilitation engineering, special education, occupational education, vocational rehabilitation, physical therapy, or other related professional field is preferred.

Experience: Two years of experience working in school, clinical, and/or adult-based programs serving persons with disabilities involving the technical and clinical aspects of assistive technology applications is required. 

Experience in at least one of the following technical roles performed by the Access Technology Center is required, experience in multiple areas is preferred.

  • Experience with alternative format document creation and remediation including textbook conversion, accessible PDFs, Braille, tactile graphics, E-Text, etc
  • Experience with video and audio captioning and transcription including caption creation and timing, video editing and format conversion, embedding caption files, etc.
  • Experience working with various assistive technologies and training consumers in their use on multiple computer and mobile platforms including text-to-speech software, dictation software, notetaking technologies, screen reader software, FM Systems, etc.
  • Experience with reviewing publisher software, online platforms, websites, and e-textbooks for accessibility including screen reader compatibility and WCAG 2.1 standards compliance.

Experience training graduate assistants and/or student workers in the technical roles (alternative format document creation and remediation, video and audio captioning and transcription, assistive technology training, and accessibility reviews) of the Access Technology Center is preferred.

Experience working as part of a team is required. Experience training individuals with and without technical backgrounds is preferred. Experience serving adult consumers is preferred.

Skills: Demonstrated supervisory skills are required, effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills are required.  The ability to perform individual assessments and evaluations is required.  The ability to perform microcomputer system diagnosis and administer access technology software and hardware is required. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

1. Through an interactive process provides collaborative consultation with students, faculty, staff, and community members to proactively create usable, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable learning environments through the utilization of technology and universal design.

2. Makes budgetary decisions regarding the procurement of assistive technology including small tech devices, software, etc. in collaboration with the Director.

3. Ensures that faculty, staff, and students can effectively utilize access technology resources in computer labs and classroom environments by providing resources and coordinating problem determination and resolution with other departments on campus.

4. Evaluates procedures for alternative format production, adjusting as needed, ensuring training competence for staff in the ATC department.

5. Conduct reviews of publisher software, online platforms, websites, and e-textbooks prior to purchase, ensuring accessibility (to include screen reader compatibility).

6. Assures that the access technology needs of students and employees with disabilities are evaluated by serving as the primary contact for all access technology assessment referrals, reviewing requests for access technology, and assessing alternative methods of accommodation in conjunction with the student or employee and appropriate University disability resource entity.

7. Coordinates the effective utilization of access technology resources by assessing the availability of specific access technology necessary for those with disabilities in general, reviewing and recommending the purchase of specific access technology, including pricing and vendor information, assisting in access technology hardware and software purchase decisions, coordinating movement and installation of access technology equipment and inventory transfers to departments, and maintaining an accurate inventory of access technology equipment on all campuses.

8. Works to ensure that individuals can effectively utilize access technology resources provided by the University by developing and maintaining access technology training programs for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities, as well as those without disabilities, and for User Support Specialists (centralized and distributed) in order to utilize and troubleshoot access technology hardware and software.

9. Facilitates the use and availability of access technology by developing, implementing, and maintaining access technology standards, protocols, and policies for the University, supervising student staff and graduate assistants, implementing and maintaining a program of training and employee evaluation, collecting data and providing  documentation for quality assessment and improvement, obtaining and administering grants, developing funding development initiatives as required, and serving on University committees related to access technology, disability, and inclusive excellence.

10. Serves as backup to the Director in determining accommodations for students by utilizing the interactive process, reviewing documentation, collaborating, and providing ongoing advisement with students, faculty and/or staff.

11. Contributes to a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.

12. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses required by the Director of the Disability Resource Center.

13. Contributes to the overall success of the Disability Resource Center by performing other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

SUPERVISION

The Associate Director, Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center is supervised by the Deputy Compliance Officer and supervises student workers and graduate assistants.

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

REVISED JULY 2022

JOB FAMILY 4

Factor 1: Professional Knowledge, Skill, and Technical Mastery

Level 4.0 - 2300 Points: Knowledge of the principles, concepts, practices, methods and techniques of an administrative, managerial, or professional field such as accounting or auditing, financial management, business administration, human resources, engineering, social sciences, communications, education, law, or medicine. Knowledge permits the employee to complete assignments by applying established methods to recurring types of projects/problems susceptible to well-documented precedents or to schedule, plan, and carry out precedented projects. Alternatively, knowledge at this level might also permit the employee to carry out precedented projects requiring considerable experience in specific areas within higher education. Knowledge at this level is typically acquired through a combination of formal education and/or training and experience that includes a requirement for a college degree in a specific technical or professional specialty along with significant related work experience. Alternatively, equivalent knowledge requirements at this level include a non-technical or general Bachelor's degree requirement with substantial work experience or a non-specific Master's degree requirement with substantial work experience. Knowledge requirements generally also include a significant amount of related work experience and may include administrative or supervisory experience.

Factor 2: Supervisory Responsibility

Level 2.0 - 130 Points: Regular, but limited, supervision, training, or directing the work assignments of (a) small numbers of student, part-time or temporary workers, or (b) one or more permanent, full-time employees. The nature of supervision is largely confined to scheduling work and assigning tasks. Supervision at this level typically does not include a full range of supervisory responsibilities, and supervisory duties typically do not consume a large portion of the work day.

Factor 3: Interactions with Others

Level 4.0 - 500 Points: Interactions with others are somewhat unstructured. The purpose may be to influence or motivate others, to obtain information, or to control situations and resolve problems. Interactions may be with individuals or groups of co-workers, students, or the general public, may be moderately unstructured, and may involve persons who hold differing goals and objectives. Individuals at this level often act as a liaison between groups with a focus on solving particular unstructured problems. Interactions at this level require considerable interpersonal skill and the ability to resolve conflict.

Factor 4: Job Controls and Guidelines

Level 4.0 - 850 Points: The employee operates under administrative supervision and makes decisions based on broadly-stated University objectives and available resources. Administrative guidelines are expressed in terms of project or program outcomes and deadlines with few comprehensive guidelines. Decisions are based on inadequate guidelines that require considerable interpretation and force the employee to plan all phases of the assignment. Assignments may be unrelated in function and the work requires many different processes and methods and a great deal of analysis to identify the nature and extent of problems. The work may require the employee to develop new methods and to deal with many variables, including some that are unclear or conflicting. Characteristic jobs at this level may involve directing large and/or complex programs, projects, or departments in which the work cuts across functional lines or requires dealing with unprecedented issues.

Factor 5: Managerial Responsibility

Level 3.0 - 850 Points: Work involves providing significant support services to others both within and outside of the department that substantially influences decision-making processes. Work activities are complex and others rely on the accuracy and reliability of the information, analysis, or advice to make decisions. Work activities have a direct, but shared, impact on further processes or services, affect the overall efficiency and image of the department, and may have material impact on costs or service quality within the cost center. Incumbents may be responsible for identifying areas of need and for developing proposals that request funding to fulfill those needs.