Accessibility Specialist

Position Summary:
The Accessibility Specialist of Disability Services is responsible for the coordination and implementation of access and accommodation services for students with disabilities in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sawyer Business School; under the mandates of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (2008), MA State law and Suffolk University Policies. Specific accommodations include, but are not limited to, exam proctoring and note taking. The Accessibility Specialist will be responsible for ensuring the institutional endeavor of creating an inclusive environment by serving on a campus-wide team during the vetting process of electronic information technology. The Accessibility Specialist will also assist in the accessibility testing and remediation of content that is to be created and maintained for use within the institution’s web ecosystem. Additionally the Accessibility Specialist will ensure that any Suffolk student requiring accessible course materials receive them in a timely fashion.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities

Accessibility Management:

Assist ITS during the procurement process by vetting all software or hardware to ensure it meets the institutional accessibility standard.
Vetting includes:
Research: outreach to vendor(s) and acquiring VPAT if one is present.
Testing: Use of screen reader(s) [JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack software], keyboard only access, AT access, etc.
Written report on state of accessibility.
Accessibility Standard= WCAG 2.1 AA.
Provide work-arounds or other products if a product or service isn’t accessible but is needed.
Assist the web developers on campus by testing, reporting, and troubleshooting any accessibility issues of the ‘web-ecosystem’ maintained by that team.
Research, order and track materials for conversion to accessible formats.
Materials = course-related books, lecture notes, math and computer science equations, graphs, diagrams, electronic Blackboard materials, exams, etc.
Accessible formats = computer-based images compatible with screen reader and electronic Braille technology, hard copy Braille, large print, audio recordings, etc. based on the needs of the individual student.
Convert print and electronic materials to accessible formats for students with print-related disabilities.
Meet with faculty to determine what text they will be using in their courses as well as provide basic accessibility guidelines for them to consider.
Direct Student Contact:

Meet with students to determine their individual alt-text needs. Provide training on how to access the alt-text when delivering the content to the student.
Meet with students to determine assistive technology (AT) needs and provide training on those services.
Community Education and Collaboration:

Provide trainings on alt-text, accessibility, use of Assistive Technology, etc. for students, staff, and faculty.
Create training materials, such as Panopto videos, guidelines for accessing text in various formats and best practice guides for faculty.
Administrative Responsibilities:

Supervising the work study student team works with the DS office.
Oversite of the scheduling and proctoring of exams via the online exam request form.
Assist with DS office tasks as needed. This may include covering the front desk, participating in orientation and programming events.
Professional Development:

Continuously research and maintain professional knowledge of the latest assistive technology for facilitating information access, bringing recommendations regarding acquisitions to Director.
Attend Student Success Divisional staff meetings. Assist with duties/tasks designated by Supervisor to support Student Success divisional initiatives and committees.
Attend professional development events or presenting at these events, if they enhance the knowledge of alt-text production.
Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree.
Excellence communication and customer service skills.
Strong computer background and demonstrated competence in rapidly researching and learning new applications.
Strong accessibility testing background; (preferred: knowledge of JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack software, and WCAG 2.1 AA Standards).
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, excellent organizational and time management skills to implement and manage creative solutions.
Demonstrated ability to work comfortably with diverse population, independently, as a leader, and as part of a team.
Demonstrated ability to work in deadline-driven and high activity environment, and to effectively coordinate competing priorities.
Demonstrated competence in effective verbal and written communication.
Ability to assess and adapt to needs of individual students.
Preferred Qualifications:

Working knowledge of adaptive/assistive software, equipment and applications including alternate format conversion programs strongly preferred.
Professional experience assisting individuals with disabilities with adaptive/assistive technology solutions in higher education setting, 2-4 years’ experience preferred

Suffolk University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.