Alternative Formats Officer

Job Purpose    

The Alternative Formats Officer will engage with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure that the service meets the needs of disabled students, supporting best practice and ensuring the promotion and implementation of inclusive practice across the University.

The postholder will deliver support to disabled students and ensure that the service provision of accessible physical and digital materials meet and exceed, where possible, statutory requirements. They will ensure that required teaching materials, texts and assessment materials are made available in an accessible format to meet individual requirements.

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

1. Plan and prepare the conversion of required academic materials into alternate formats to be used by students with disabilities.

2. Provide high quality reformatted/digitised materials within agreed timeframes and to ensure the effective management and recording of workload.

3. Provide professional advice and guidance to colleagues and work in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure awareness of universal design strategies, in line with the Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy (AILP) and supporting the University’s initiatives around accessibility.

4. Liaise with Information Services colleagues and the Disability Service to ensure a prompt and appropriate response to enquiries, working in accordance with relevant confidentiality procedures.

5. Keep abreast of new developments in relation to legislation, research, assessment, assistive technology and accessibility, maintaining a good working knowledge of policy and practice within the HE sector.

6. Contribute to the continuous improvement of the student experience in respect of accessible formats of learning resources, engaging with students and academic staff to gain and utilise feedback to improve future services.

7. Support strong working relationships with colleagues in Information Services (inc. Business Relationship Management (BRM), IT, and Library Services directorates), Academic & Digital Development, the Disability Service and with College Learning and Teaching contacts, to ensure the university meets its statutory responsibilities in relation to physical and digital accessibility.

8. Communicate and liaise effectively across a wide range of audiences to ensure understanding of best practice in relation to accessibility and inclusion.

9. Work flexibly and collaboratively with colleagues and students to ensure effective service delivery and a positive experience for service users.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential: 

A1 Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills through personal development and progression in a similar role(s).   Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 8 (Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4, Higher National Diploma) or equivalent, and experience of personal development in a similar role.

A2 Experience of preparing and delivering documents in alternative formats.

A3 Knowledge and understanding of the Equality Act 2010, Section 6 (Disability) and its applications in Higher Education.

A4 An understanding of data protection compliance and working with confidential information.

A5 Knowledge of assistive technology and its application for disabled students.

Desirable:

B1 Knowledge of RNIB Bookshare.

B2 Some knowledge of licensing and delivery of electronic library materials and online reading lists in Higher Education.

B3 Knowledge of copyright law in relation to accessibility.

B4 Knowledge of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and legislative frameworks, such as the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

B5 Experience of using digital repository software platforms to delivery digital content to users.

Skills 

Essential: 

C1 Ability to maintain confidentiality and deal sensitively with students, using tact, diplomacy, and discretion, to understand accessibility requirements.

C2 Excellent accuracy and attention to detail.

C3 Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

C4 Demonstrable ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.

C5 Excellent time management skills and ability to manage workload within agreed deadlines.

C6 IT literacy and demonstrable experience of working with reformatting and digitisation technology.

C7 Ability to work flexibly to meet Service needs, managing time and prioritising workloads according to the demands of the academic year.

Experience  

Essential:  

E1 Practical experience of producing materials in alternative formats, preferably within a Higher Education or Further Education setting.

E2 Experience of using software tools and/or applications to generate accessible physical or digital content in a number of formats.

E3 Experience of working with stakeholders to ensure the implementation of support for a diverse user group and to promote inclusive practice.

E4 Ability to work in line with University policies and procedures with regards to supporting students and providing professional guidance to colleagues.

Desirable:  

F1 Experience of delivering training/compiling guidance for staff in relation to accessibility and inclusion.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 6, £32,332 - £36,024 per annum.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and fixed term until 31 July 2025 in the first instance.

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

3 A flexible approach to working.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community  

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/

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