Refocused Job Description for ASsistant Director

Position summary:

Collaborates with the Director in program development and providing strategic leadership to the Disability Resource Center with direct supervision of professional staff. The Senior Assistant Director takes an active role in managing all aspects of the department and provides leadership across the University with: educational offerings; training; equity and inclusion framing; assessment; innovation; analyzes practice, process, and resources to address access in all environments. Fluent in developing a social model based approach to higher education disability services. Will serve as a department and university wide resource regarding: inclusive design, disability services and models of disability, innovative program design. Provides leadership and supervision of a team of six Access Consultants resulting in seamless student/faculty/staff services based on a social justice model of disability.

Essential functions:

  • Takes an active role with Director on program design, delivery, development of learning outcomes and assessment of program effectiveness.
  • Assists DRC leadership team in supervision and administration of student worker employee program.
  • Directly supervises and evaluates Access Consultant professional staff of six.
  • Hires, trains, sets performance goals and recommends merit increases for staff directly supervised.
  • Develops overall learning outcomes for department and assessment of outcomes.
  • Coordinates campus outreach activities that are educational in nature as well as in response to identified needs.
  • Takes a leadership role across campus representing the DRC while promoting the social model of disability.
  • Demonstrates subject matter expertise related to the implementation of case law impacting campus accessibility.
  • Works in unison with the Director and staff in developing long term strategic plans for the department as well as campus-wide to advance access by design.
  • Serves on campus-wide committees.
  • Develops relationships with faculty across campus including Critical Disability Studies minor teaching faculty.
  • Solves problems, troubleshoots, prioritizes in consultation with Director and manages assigned administrative tasks and decision making.
  • Maintains current knowledge of reasonable accommodations in curricular and co-curricular environments.
  • Maintains current knowledge of “Best Practices in Higher Education Disability Services” that is informed by the Social Model of disability.
  • Promotes expanding DRC staff and campus partner understanding of inclusion by design and practical applications to include: adaptive sports; veterans services; accessible technology; disability awareness programing; integrating disability into the curriculum; K-12 transition; student recruitment events; local community opportunities; etc.
  • Lead the DRC in the absence of the Director and perform other duties as assigned.

Education:

In a field related to Student Personnel Work for example: Disability Studies; Rehabilitation Counseling; Social Work; Special Education; Vocational Rehabilitation; Guidance & Counseling; Higher Education Student Affairs; etc.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Demonstrated knowledge, training or experience in State and Federal laws related to Disability Rights: ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508, ADA, and their application to higher education.
  • Education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas: Concepts of Universal Design for Instruction and the social model of disability; organizational skills; developed communication skills including public presentations; high level comfort with desktop computer applications, selection and use of adaptive/accessible technology.
  • Interpretation of FERPA.
  • Knowledgable about transition from K-12 to Higher Ed. and the implications for disability services.

Thanks to Randall Ward of Purdue University for this sample.

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