Assistive Technology Specialist

Position Summary The mission of the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) is to create an accessible and inclusive environment where a student’s educational potential is maximized through the fostering of independence, self-advocacy, and individual holistic development. The Assistive Technology Specialist provides technical assistance, training and resource materials to OARS registered students, UCA faculty and staff within the areas of assistive and instructional computer technologies with an emphasis on assistive computer technologies and adaptive equipment for students with learning disabilities, visual disabilities, physical disabilities, or those who are deaf or hard of hearing. This position is not an OARS Advisor and is not required to schedule Initial Meeting Appointments. The Assistive Technology Specialist reports to the OARS Director. Job Duties and Responsibilities Textbook Conversion, Note Taking and Document Remediation: - Develops hard-copy and online training materials for use with assistive computer technologies as they apply to the needs of students with disabilities - Imports scanned files into the appropriate software applications based on a student’s individualized disability needs - Prepares hard copy textbooks for electronic conversion by utilizing appropriate Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools - Provides training to and serves as the immediate supervisor for textbook conversion only to OARS student workers - Manages OARS Pool Drive Access and OARS textbook list for downloading to the myOARS database - Scheduled to assist the OARS Blind and Low-Vision Student Assistant with taking notes for blind and low-vision students when needed - Remediates and creates accessible documents for office use using Adobe, Microsoft Word or Equidox - Updates OARS Policy and Procedure Manual with changes on a consistent basis Assistive Technology and myOARS Database Maintenance: - Provides technical assistance, consultation and training to OARS registered students on the use of all assistive technologies and adaptive equipment - Works with IT staff to support the assistive technology needs for students with disabilities (i.e. JAWS, ZoomText, etc.) - Manages semester rollover for ease of accommodation requests through the myOARS database - Serves directly as the software administrator for ReadSpeaker and assists students with accessible alternative formats accommodation with connecting to ReadSpeaker - Attends advisory board meetings with software vendors and/or developers for maintenance and upkeep of purchased assistive software - Supervises information management software conversion, updates, and maintenance - Evaluates and reviews innovative methods and practices of potential benefit to students with disabilities as well as emerging assistive and instructional computer technologies OARS Website Maintenance & Digital Accessibility: - Develops, maintains and updates the OARS website with permission from the OARS Director - Serves as the co-chair of the Web Accessibility Committee - Meets with OARS Associate Director, UMAC and CETAL to maintain the Digital Compliance portion of the ADA Transition Plan - Assists the OARS Director in designing and delivering professional development workshops for faculty in areas related to teaching and learning with digital accessibility and providing training on digital accessibility to the UCA community - Develops and maintains a library of resources that provide best practices, guidelines, checklists, how-to documents and other materials to support and foster a digitally accessible campus that adheres to accreditation, federal and WCAG 2.1 AA standards as well as any future WCAG standards - Updates OARS social media accounts and posts captioned video content to the OARS YouTube Channel - Participates in periodic professional development opportunities and conferences to further skills and abilities in all areas of digital accessibility Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: - Ability to work with limited oversight and with sound judgement - Ability to remediate documents when needed - Knowledge of general database functionality (e.g., student application, module navigation, report building and data assessment) - Knowledge of general digital accessibility information Skills Considered Essential for Success: - Knowledge of the organization and administration of higher education - Knowledge of state, federal, and university rules, regulations and procedures - Ability to work in a diverse and dynamic environment - Ability to work collaboratively and independently with common goals as a part of a team - Ability to make sound judgments - Effective interpersonal communication, writing, and organizational abilities - Civility in all interactions - Demonstrate effective follow-up Required Education and/or Experience: - Bachelor’s Degree in information technology, instructional technology, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, special education, or other related fields with gained knowledge and experience in assistive technology - Developing and/or working knowledge of Title II Digital Accessibility law enacted April 24, 2024, as well as knowledge of the ADA and applicable federal and state laws regarding IT accessibility - Familiarity with and experience with current assistive technologies including text-to-speech software, speech-to-text software, and screen readers as well as adaptive equipment - Knowledge of various alternative formats and alternative technologies that enable people with diverse abilities to communicate, participate, and perform tasks - Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing as well as when presenting and training - Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume and time-sensitive workload and to meet demanding deadlines - Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a collaborative, collegial, communicative environment Preferred Education and/or Experience: - Master’s Degree in information technology, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, special education, or other related fields with gained knowledge and experience in assistive technology - Professional certification (e.g., Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS), or other International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) credentials) - Extensive knowledge of disability law compliance and guidance including, but not limited to the ADA, Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act - Working knowledge of W3C WCAG 2.1 Level AA web content accessibility standards as required by the Title II Digital Accessibility Law enacted April 24, 2024 - Experience working with assistive technology such as JAWS, ZoomText, ReadSpeaker (text-to-speech and speech-to-text software) and Equidox - Experience working with ABBYY FineReader OCR conversion software and textbook conversion - Experience working with and/or knowledge of web accessibility software as well as D2L Brightspace LMS University, Campus, and Community Description Thank you for your interest in employment at the University of Central Arkansas. Founded in 1907, UCA has an enrollment of more than 10,000 students and employs over 1,300 full-time employees. The university offers more than 85 undergraduate and 59 graduate certificate and degree programs, including doctoral programs in five disciplines. UCA is proud of its tradition of teaching excellence and its contributions in research, scholarship, and creative activities.