Career Center

Posting Summary:
The Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OASID) at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is seeking an Associate Director of Digital Accessibility to coordinate accommodations and support services for faculty, staff, and students to ensure that individuals with disabilities can fully participate in the Teachers College community.

Job Summary/Basic Function:
Reporting to the Director of OASID, the Associate Director of Digital Accessibility is responsible for providing guidance and services to ensure digital access for individuals with disabilities at Teachers College.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• The incumbent will oversee accessibility audits and assessment of Teachers College digital applications/software to ensure that teachers College’s digital accessibility standards for campus-wide use are met.
• Provide strategic leadership, oversight, and technical advice across the College in implementing Digital Accessibility Policy requirements and ensuring overall digital compliance under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and its 2008 amendments, and WCAG 2.1.
• Oversee all technology-related accommodations for students and employees, including managing and maintaining assistive technologies; researching, recommending, and training on technologies; and maintaining a College-wide database for managing data, accommodations, and services such as exam accommodations and note-taking, among others.

Compliance Responsibilities

• Assist community members in understanding their obligations under the Digital Accessibility Policy, and guide developers and vendors of digital content, services, and applications on accessible design and development practices.
• Serve as the chair of the Digital Access Committee to maintain digital compliance at the College and respond to complaints or issues regarding digital information or services that the College is responsible for under the Digital Accessibility Policy.
• Advise on updates to the Teachers College Digital Accessibility Policy.

Guidance Responsibilities

• Serve as accessibility subject matter expert for the College in the area of digital accessibility, accessibility of applications on various platforms, and creating accessible websites and content.
• Advise prospective and current students and employees regarding accessibility services, technology, and related resources within and outside the College.
• Collaborate and consult with faculty and instructional staff on instructional technology to implement reasonable and appropriate accommodations.
• Collaborate with faculty to identify opportunities for the provision of accessible courses, research processes and materials, including accessible content and alternatively formatted materials.
• Provide guidance around accessible and inclusive approaches to campus community members, increasing awareness of digital accessibility to address barriers.
• As needed, provide digital accessibility support and guidance to student groups, organizations, and event planners.

Technical Responsibilities

• Research, evaluate, recommend and maintain College-wide digital applications, websites, and software to support accommodations, accessibility, and inclusion.
• Complete accessibility testing through the use of various OS, assistive technologies, and other techniques.
• Lead the College in addressing accessibility and technical issues and advise on ongoing development to ensure products are fully utilized.
• Develop/maintain expertise in assistive technologies, including but not limited to: Kurzweil, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Sonocent, JAWS, and ZoomText.
• Provide one-on-one technical support to students and employees with disability technology-related accommodations.
• In collaboration with the Assistant Director and Associate Director, manage OASID materials conversion (text to alternative format), note-taking technologies, processes for acquiring and creating captioned videos, transcripts of videos, and remote real-time transcription.

Data Responsibilities 

• Manage ongoing College-wide reporting, data collection, and analysis related to digital accessibility and assistive technology.
• Evaluate data management and use to determine impact, recommending revisions and improvements as needed.

Other Responsibilities 

• Develop, revise and maintain accessible content on the OASID website, including information about policies, processes, training, events, programming, etc
• Stay abreast of best practices in digital accessibility, including updating web pages and adding new resources in a timely and accessible way.
• Serve on College campus committees and working groups related to technology, accessibility, and any committees or groups that support College initiatives.
• Participate in ongoing professional development and training to keep current in the disability services and digital accessibility fields and advise on proactive service and accommodation delivery approaches.
• Develop and deliver training on digital accessibility, accessible content, and assistive technologies for students, faculty, and staff.
• Develop training materials such as documents, PowerPoints, videos, etc., that can be widely distributed to the College community.
• Determine and communicate standards and best practices as well as train staff to support these processes.
• Manage and project budgets for areas of responsibility.
• Work closely with the Director to make fiscally responsible budget projections based on daily operations and research accommodations to efficiently meet service obligations.
• Other tasks duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline.
• Minimum of four years of related experience, including a minimum of 1-year experience focused on Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technology work in a higher education disability services setting.
• Familiarity with assistive technologies, accessibility testing, relevant legal requirements, technical standards, and best practices.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of assistive technologies for persons with disabilities, including /familiarity with Kurzweil, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Inspiration, Texthelp Read and Write, JAWS, ZoomText, Math Type, and Ginger Software.
• Familiarity with inclusive and universal design for learning (UDL) pedagogies and experience researching, evaluating, and troubleshooting technology tools are strongly desired.
• Working knowledge of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, its 2008 amendments, and WCAG 2.1 as well as other appropriate laws pertaining to higher education and disabilities and the ability to ensure compliance for areas managed.
• Proficiency with a wide array of assistive technologies and basic computer programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Zoom, and G-Suite.
• Knowledge of accessibility auditing and testing tools and strategies. Strong web accessibility skills, including knowledge of online access issues and means for addressing them.
• Experience providing training and support directly to faculty and staff regarding best practices for making content accessible.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or certification-related discipline.
• Experience preferred in managing assistive technologies, including alternate format conversions, databases, and websites for disability services, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Experience with managing budgets.
• Experience working with Accommodate case management database software and Blackboard Ally.

About Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College, Columbia University, is the oldest and largest graduate school of education in the United States, and also perennially ranked among the nation's best. Its name notwithstanding, the College is committed to a vision of education writ large, encompassing our four core areas of expertise: health, education, leadership and psychology.

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