Assistant Director Academic Access and Disability Resources

The primary purpose of Davidson College is to assist students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service. Davidson College is a highly selective, independent liberal arts college located in Davidson, North Carolina that serves approximately 2,100 undergraduate students, has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars, and is consistently ranked among the top private liberal arts colleges in the country.

As a department within the Division of Student Life, the Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources (AADR) serves three primary functions: 1) to provide academic support to students so they may improve their academic performance; 2) to support otherwise qualified students with disabilities, temporary disabilities, and/or undiagnosed disabilities and work with campus partners to provide equitable access to academic courses, course content, services, programs, and facilities; and 3) to recognize and support disability as an identity and an essential component of Davidson's diversity.

The Assistant Director will provide disability services to students, serve as an academic coach, hold an ancillary responsibility, and support the overall work of AADR. Specific responsibilities are listed below. In addition to serving as a front-facing, highly interactive role to students, the assistant director will work collaboratively with a variety of Student Life, academic, and campus partners, including faculty, the Residence Life Office, the Center for Student Health & Well-being, the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

This is a salaried, full-time (40 hours), 12-month position that reports to the Director of AADR. Work hours typically occur between 8:30-5:30pm, Monday - Friday, with occasional evening and weekend hours for campus activities, events, and programs. Some travel to national, state and local conferences and/or to give presentations or workshops will be required.

PRIMARY POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility #1 - Disability Services with Accessibility Planning and Implementation

• Serve as a disability professional to otherwise qualified students in reviewing and interpreting confidential documentation. Engage the student in the interactive process for the determination of reasonable accommodations in the areas of campus access, academics, housing, emotional support animals, and dining.
• Process requests, communicate approvals through the appropriate channels, and ensure implementation by serving as a consultant to faculty and staff involved in implementing the accommodations.
• Provide guidance to students who suspect an undiagnosed disability in the process of seeking a diagnosis and documentation to support a request for accommodations and make appropriate referrals.
• Engage course instructors and the access coordinator who oversees the Alternate Format lab to develop accessibility plans for students who are blind or have hearing loss. This may include determining the methods for producing accessible course materials and video content.
• The Alternate Format Lab, lead by access coordinator, produces accessible course materials and captioned video content for students with print and sensory disabilities. The assistant director will receive and complete assignments for captioning videos and processing course material documents into alternate formats.
• Facilitate implementation of accessibility plans by collaborating with campus partners, which may include the hiring and training of course assistants and supporting a student's use of a personal care attendant.

Responsibility #2 - Academic Coaching

• Serve as an academic coach in the form of individual academic coaching sessions and small group workshops to help students further develop and enhance their academic skills, e.g. time management, test-taking strategies, organizational skills, note-taking, studying, reading, writing papers, and preparing for tests and exams.

Responsibility #3 - Ancillary Responsibility

The assistant director will take the lead on a specific area of the office, which will be determined based on the current needs of students and the AADR office as well as the unique skills and experiences of the hired assistant director. The ancillary responsibility is subject to change and may include:

• Oversee the academic coaching function of AADR, which includes the development of and actively pursuing innovative coaching strategies, directing and providing logistical support to the Peer Academic Coaching (PAC) Program, and supervising and training the student and professional staff assigned to academic coaching responsibilities.
• Be the lead staff member to initiate, plan and implement programs, activities, and events to further accessibility on campus and to educate the campus community on disability history, culture, and identity; to highlight and foster disability culture; and to support students with disabilities in the expression and celebration of their unique and intersectional identities. This ancillary responsibility also includes maintaining strong relationships with student organizations who participate in disability advocacy and may include the supervision of student employees who serve to connect and build relationships with students and the campus community regarding disability and accessibility.

Responsibility #4 - Assist the Director of AADR

• Assist the Director in the day-to-day operations of AADR and in the implementation of programmatic and administrative policies and procedures.
• Assist in maintaining, updating, and forming policies related to disability accommodations.
• Assist with strategic planning and goal setting to contribute to the vision AADR as it embraces growth in demand and changing student needs.
• Serve as back-up as requested by the director in their absence.

Responsibility #5 - Consultation and Outreach

• Maintain a working knowledge of federal, state and local laws in order to play an advisory/advocacy role in removing barriers to accessibility in campus programs and physical spaces.
• Assist with the development, coordination, and implementation of workshops and events for faculty, staff, and students on academic strategies; disability law; the implementation of accommodations; best practices for serving students with disabilities; and disability identity, awareness, and inclusion.
• Initiate collaborative interactions with stakeholders, encouraging the application of equitable practices to educational and administrative processes, promoting universal design, and affirming disability as an identity to be included in all aspects of campus.

Responsibility #6 - Record Keeping

• Maintain confidential student records utilizing Accommodate, a web-based data management system, and a hybrid system of paper and digital files.
• Assist the Director with maintaining the use of Accommodate, which may include designing and running reports, accurately filtering data to create and distribute appropriate communications, and troubleshooting and solving glitches in the system.
• Assist with the collection and evaluation of departmental data to be used in goal development, budget and strategic planning, and the development of reports for stakeholders, partners, and funders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A bachelor's degree is required. A graduate degree in higher education, college student development, disability studies, educational/school psychology, special education, rehabilitation, assistive technology, social work, or a closely related field is preferred. The ideal candidate for this position would have:

• At least 1-2 years of demonstrated full-time experience in supporting students with disabilities in the post-secondary educational environment,
• Working knowledge of various disabilities and disability laws (ADA, Section 504, Fair Housing Act, etc.) as they pertain to higher education and students with disabilities.
• Skillset and relative expertise in the interpretation of disability-related documentation for the purpose of verifying disability and identifying appropriate accommodation plans in the post-secondary educational environment.
• Knowledge of successful academic strategies in time management, organization, and study skills.
• Experience developing and facilitating academic coaching programs and services to college students.
• Expertise with web-based data management systems, such as Accommodate, and working knowledge of website development and ongoing maintenance,
• Knowledge of and skill in producing accessible course materials, such as alternate formats for those with print and/or reading disabilities, digital formats for blind students, and captioning videos. The person in this role will need to be able to view and identify inaccessible course materials and convert them into accessible formats.
• Ability to connect effectively with faculty, staff, students, and campus partners from diverse backgrounds to share the value and importance of access and disability-related processes within the college/university setting.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with strong attention to detail and follow through in planning and implementing programs and events.
• And the ability to contribute to the general teamwork efforts required of the staff to maintain AADR, working both independently and as part of the team on AADR initiatives.
• The person in this role will need to be able to physically navigate campus to visit and enter residence halls, academic buildings, and other areas of campus for meetings, accessibility checks, and events. Must also be able to lift 25 pounds, typically in the form of boxes of print material and office supplies. They will also need to read student case files, which may consist of paper folders with print documents.

As a part of your application materials, a resume and cover letter are required. Information about how to submit the application documents can be found at https://employment.davidson.edu