Instructional Accessibility Specialist

Salary/Position Classification

$52,000- 55,000 Annual, Exempt
40 hours per week
100% Remote Work Availability: No
Hybrid Work Availability: Yes

Purpose of Position

This position will work as part of a creative and talented team to support students, faculty, and staff in the pursuit of innovation and excellence in teaching and learning. This position will focus primarily on accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The person in this role will also serve as a liaison with Accessibility for Students and Equal Opportunity & Title IX. As the demand for technology increases, this position is imperative to the mission of the University of North Dakota.

Duties & Responsibilities

Serve as TTaDA’s liaison with Accessibility for Students and Equal Opportunity & Title IX to advise and assist faculty in creation of accessible course content.
Work closely with Accessibility for Students and Equal Opportunity & Title IX in providing guidance to faculty on creating accessible course content.
Develop and maintain internal system to track progress of requests related to accessibility.
Work directly with faculty to review accessibility and make recommendations for revisions to course content to meet accessibility requirements.

Work with instructional designers and academic technologists to further enhance existing efforts to provide Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility training and resources.
Work with instructors, departments, colleagues within TTaDA and other university partners to review the accessibility of existing courses and suggest appropriate revisions.
Provide expert guidance in use of assistive technologies and accommodations in relation to Universal Design and accessibility of course design/academic technologies.
Keep up to date with research and hands-on use of screen reading software (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), screen magnification software (e.g., ZoomText), speech-to-text software (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking), text-to-speech software (e.g., Kurzweil), and keyboard-only software.
Provide training and advice on creating accessible content using Math ML/LaTeX, accessible Graphs/Maps (such as alternative text), etc.

Evaluate the accessibility of instructional technology systems and software and make recommendations concerning best practices.
Conduct accessibility testing of academic technologies against Revised Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 (A, AA) success criteria/federal requirements.
Test, evaluate, recommend, implement, and pilot new and emerging technologies that enhance accessible instruction.
Consult with vendors of accessibility tools and assistive technologies in selecting products and troubleshooting accessibility compliance issues and barriers.
Coordinate with other areas to assist with obtaining and reviewing Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) ’s, etc. for new/existing technologies.

Collaborate with other campus departments and stakeholders to promote accessibility across the University.
Collaborate with Accessibility for Students and Equal Opportunity & Title IX to take a proactive approach in meeting with academic departments and colleges about Universal Design for Learning and creating accessible course content.
Develop and assist with current accessibility programming (workshops, trainings, etc.)
Serve on various committees, meet with UND areas (such as Marketing & Creative Services), participate in NDUS and national committees related to accessibility.

Collect/analyze data and provide reports on overall accessibility progress for teaching and learning.
Implement process for tracking overall course accessibility scores, % of videos fully captioned, number of courses reviewed for accessibility, and more.
Provide reports on accessibility to TTaDA leadership, Accessibility for Students, Equal Opportunity & Title IX, department chairs, college deans, and other campus partners on a regular basis (monthly, yearly, etc.) or as requested.
Research methods for monitoring accessibility across teaching and learning platforms.
Analyze data and provide recommendations for strategies to improve overall accessibility of course content for all programs at UND.

Other Duties as Assigned
Assist with academic technology and instructional design areas as needed.
Attend internal department, campus, and external meetings as required.
Participate in professional development.
Incorporate DEIA principals into all areas of work.
Maintain a positive attitude and uphold the mission and vision of TTaDA and the University.

Required Competencies

Ability to communicate with non-technical and technical users
Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
Must be dependable and able to work independently and as part of a team

Minimum Requirements

Bachelors Degree OR an Associate’s degree plus 3 years’ experience.
Experience applying federal and state law related to usability and accessibility.
Experience with assistive technologies used in higher education.
Experience in instructional design or Universal Design for Learning.
Experience presenting to groups, developing, and conducting workshops.
Experience with creating educational content in a variety of formats.
Successful completion of a Standard Criminal History Background Check.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Education, Computer Science, Information Technology, Web Development/Design, or related field
Certified Professional in Web Accessibility
Experience in evaluating ACRs based on VPAT 2.4 Rev 508
Experience with classroom technologies