Disability & Accessibility Services Specialist (SAL 6)

Disability & Accessibility Services Specialist (SAL 6)

Summary:
Reporting to the VP for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the DAS Specialist will coordinate and support DAS responsibilities related to accessible materials, assistive technology, and accommodated testing, and provide administrative support to the DAS program. The Specialist will assist the Director in serving students with disabilities to provide equal access.

Minimum Qualifications Required:
Education required to ensure success in this position:
•    Bachelor’s Degree; in education, special education, counseling, psychology, disability studies, or closely related field

Experience required to ensure success in this position:
•    2 years of experience working in education, counseling, or other settings relevant to the position duties
•    Experience working in higher education strongly preferred
•    Experience with assistive technology preferred
•    Experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating new procedures
•    Experience working in and as a team

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:
•    Ability to work effectively and sensitively with diverse populations, including college students with disabilities, and low income and first-generation college students
•    Familiarity with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, Section 5078 and FERPA regulations regarding access to higher education for students with disabilities
•    Strong computer skills and an eagerness to learn new technology
•    Familiarity with assistive technology tools and a willingness to develop skills further in this area
•    Knowledge of alternative format conversion and procurement process or a willingness to develop skills in this area
•    Ability and willingness to work in close collaboration with the DAS director, faculty, staff, and students
•    Supervision of Labor students
•    Strong organizational and communication skills
•    Capability to work independently with minimal supervision
•    One-on-one and group training skills
•    Ability to maintain confidentiality
License, certification, or registration necessary:
•    Required background check            

Physical requirements:
•    Ability to perform extensive computer work
•    Aptitude to learn new technology and equipment
•    Ability to navigate campus/public buildings and grounds
•    Ability to travel by car and/or plane
•    Ability to occasionally lift up to 20 lbs.

Environmental conditions:
•    Professional office environment with interruptions and noise due to frequent visitors, students, staff and faculty
•    Occasional travel required for meetings, conferences, etc.

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:
•    No specific use of vehicles is expected
•    Standard office equipment- computer, assistive technology devices, phone, fax, etc.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Accommodated Testing Support (~25%)
o    Coordinate DAS testing room in Lincoln hall.
o    Collaborate with faculty and other campus partners on accommodated testing options and procedures
o    Coordinate scribes, readers, and assistive technology rated to testing accommodations
Accessible Material Support (~20-25%)
o    Collaborate with faculty, staff, and students in obtaining textbook and other course material information.
o    Procure alternate format materials from publishers and repositories as available.
o    Arrange outsourcing and/or provide limited in-house conversion as needed.
o    Assist instructors, labor supervisors, and others to develop the skills required to create accessible materials.
  Assistive Technology / DAS Equipment Support: (~15-20%)
o    Assist students to utilize appropriate assistive technology.
o    Interface with other related offices and faculty on technology-related accommodations
o    Investigate new technologies and make recommendations to DAS
o    Manage DAS equipment as well as DAS loan program
   Coordination of Reasonable Accommodations for Temporary Conditions (~15%)
o    Coordinate all accommodations for students with temporary conditions
o    Assist students in identifying and obtaining necessary documentation of a disability
o    Collaborate with faculty, labor, and other campus partners to implement accommodations
DAS Mission and Administrative Support (~15-20%)
o    In support of Berea College’s great commitments, this position requires student supervision. Hire, train, and supervise labor students in support of the above responsibilities.  The Supervision includes scheduling, assigning and approving work performed; developing students about common workplace acumen and giving them tangible work experience is an expected outcome. To learn more about the student labor program and requirements on this position see:  Labor Program Goals
o    Provide administrative support to the Accessibility Advisory Committee
o    Maintain and update the DAS website.
o    Serve as point of contact for students, prospective students, parents, and others if/when Director is not available or otherwise occupied
o    Engage in professional development opportunities regarding disability services
o    Other DAS program support as needed or assigned by DAS Director

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students.

Founded in 1855, Berea College achieved national distinction as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls 1,600 students from 43 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $178,000. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and many are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College was again named one of the nation’s “Best Institutions for Undergraduates to Earn their College Degree” in the 2022 edition of The Princeton Review’s book, The Best 387 Colleges. Berea also appeared on four other lists within the publication: Best Colleges in the Southeast; Best Value Colleges; Best Green Colleges; and Tuition Free Schools. Berea College is ranked #148 by The Princeton Review – the highest-ranked Kentucky college, and the #3 “Best Value College” in the nation. Berea is one of only two private institutions ranked in the Top 10 for Value in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Rankings. The Washington Monthly ranks Berea College #13 among the nation’s liberal arts colleges, recognizing Berea for maintaining “consistently high rankings thanks to their economic diversity, relatively strong graduation rates, and commitment to meeting students’ financial need.” U.S. News and World Report Rankings lists Berea as #30 among National Liberal Arts Colleges, including ranking Berea #1 in Service Learning, #2 for Most Innovative Schools, #3 in Co-ops/Internships, #4 in First-year Experiences, and tied for #13 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Note to Prospective Employees:

Each year, Berea College Public Safety publishes an annual report to the campus to make public crime statistics, policies, and procedures for Berea College.  This Annual Security Report, required by the Jeane Clery Act, Minger Act, and the Student Right To Know Act is now available for review.  For a full, printable version of the ASR, you can click here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/

For a policy-by-policy version that is easier to read and browse, please visit Public Safety’s website here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/