Digital Accessibility & Academic Technology Support Specialist

Responsible for supporting the university’s efforts to proactively ensure online courses comply with Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by conducting accessibility audits/assessments and supporting remediation efforts. ¬¬¬Responsible for providing online support for academic technology used by faculty in the development and instruction of graduate and undergraduate courses.

**TYPE OF SUPERVISION:**

Receive general supervision from the Manager, Academic Technology.

* **General Supervision** — indicates that the incumbent performs a variety of duties; some of which may be complex duties within established policy guidelines; and receives occasional supervision.

**POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:**

**ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:**

**Accessibility Specialist**

* Serve as the university's educational technology accessibility expert for major platforms like Brightspace, Zoom, Kaltura, Google Suite, MS Office, TurnItIn, LearnWise and any future adopted technologies.
* Manage and conduct accessibility audits on recently developed or revised online courses to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.2 standards. Utilize assistive technology and tools to identify non-compliance areas, providing guidance for necessary revisions. Maintain regular communication with the instructional design team on audit progress.
* Aid Instructional Designers and Faculty in formatting online resources to meet WCAG 2.2 standards. Update instructional materials (e.g., PDFs, Word documents, HTML content) in newly developed courses for compliance and provide accessible files to developers or designers requiring advanced remediation.
* Provide support to Instructional Designers in building course components and integrations that necessitate WCAG expertise for accessibility compliance.
* Upload files to courses and assist with updating videos and adding transcripts to live sections and principal shells if needed.
* Stay updated on emerging technologies, accessibility laws, guidelines, best practices, and tools relevant to developing accessible courses and instructional materials.
* Support the Office of Accessible Education to remediate courses as needed for student enrollments. Including auditing and remediating courses as well as managing the outsourcing of remediation as needed.
* Proactively audit and remediate high enrolled courses for WCAG compliance.
* Provide accessibility training and consultation, including support for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles

**Academic Technology Support - Faculty & Staff**

* Provide application and advanced technical support to UMass Global LMS users and its integrated applications.
* Provide escalated help and support via the phone, email and/or Zoom, Live Text, LearnWiseand other external software for UMass Global users in troubleshooting and problem solving in the more advanced technical uses of the LMS platform.
* Assistance in maintaining and tracking of systems for instructional design and courseware development projects, as needed.
* Provide support, relating to Academic Technologies which includes to assist users in troubleshooting issues and providing ticket support.
* Communicate with other university support services to coordinate support for faculty, students, and potential students in an attempt to make the entire online education experience more user-friendly, effective, and seamless.

* Perform other duties, as assigned

**POSITION SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:**

**EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATION AND/OR LICENSES:**

* Bachelor’s degree in a related field or in a non-related field with relevant accessibility certifications/training (e.g., IAAP CPACC, IAAP WAS, Section 508 Tester).
* At least 2 years of experience implementing ADA, Section 504/508, and WCAG standards in digital communications, websites, or online courses.
* Minimum 2 years of experience in user experience, quality assurance, and technical support.
* Minimum 3 years of experience in Brightspace LMS or similar platforms in higher education, and delivering technical training.

_Desired_

* Experience supporting students with disabilities in higher education settings and familiarity with disability services.

**ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:**

* Strong knowledge of WCAG 2.1 AA, ADA, Section 504/508, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessibility auditing and reporting in online course delivery. Competence with HTML, CSS, ARIA, LMS platforms (e.g., Canvas, Brightspace/D2L), and accessibility testing tools (e.g., WAVE, Axe, JAWS, Dragon)
* Familiarity with remediating course content and evaluating digital resources for compliance with accessibility laws and standards.
* Project Management – leading and managing multiple projects simultaneously, excellent time management skills, organized, detail-oriented
* Collaboration - demonstrated ability to collaborate with people from a wide variety of skill sets and backgrounds via written or oral communication
* Flexibility and Adaptability - Ability to work quickly, effectively, and flexibly in a deadline-driven environment
* Advanced skills with G Suite (Google Products), Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office with regard to WCAG compliance.
* Ability to create vtt files to generate closed captions.
* Thorough knowledge of accessibility auditing techniques using automated and manual testing procedures.
* Advanced knowledge of assistive technologies including JAWS, NVDA, and Fusion.
* Advanced technical skills, specifically with Learning Management Systems..
* Sufficient analytical skills to troubleshoot software and hardware user problems.
* Strong familiarity with both PC and Mac operating environment.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including communicating technical information in terms understandable to faculty clients.
* Ability and willingness to work independently in a team environment, with limited supervision.
* Proven customer service skills which include diplomatically, patiently, and successfully handling problems, questions, conflicts, and suggestions.
* Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment within scope of delegated authority.
* Experience and ability to create audio descriptions a plus.

**Machines, Tools, Equipment, Electronic Devices and Software:** Personal computer and intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including word, excel, and outlook

**Contact with Students:** Occasional

**Contact with Faculty and/or Staff:** Frequent

**Contact with Community and Vendors:** Occasional