Accessible Media Specialist-Student Disability Services

Accessible Media Specialist-Student Disability Services

About Student Disability Services

Student Disability Services (SDS) works in partnership with Cornell faculty, staff, and students to ensure that all aspects of student life are accessible, equitable, and inclusive of individuals with disabilities. SDS establishes and disseminates criteria for disability services, meet with students to discuss access needs, receives and stores confidential disability documentation to support a student's eligibility for disability services and accommodations, and collaborates with faculty and staff regarding essential course and/or program requirements and appropriate reasonable accommodations. SDS provides campus leadership of diversity efforts that promote disability equity and inclusion.

The Opportunity

We are excited to welcome an Accessible Media Specialist to our Student Disability Services (SDS) team! Reporting to the Assistant Director of Operations, this role is vital in ensuring students with disabilities have access to materials in formats that meet their unique needs, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Arrange and produce accessible materials, including but not limited to:

  • Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs.

  • Braille documents, tactile graphics, and enlarged formats.

• Collaborate with faculty and course staff to ensure course content is accessible.

• Conduct meetings with students to determine their accommodation needs and implement accessible format solutions.

• Provide training and support to students on specific assistive technologies.

• Serve as a resource for accessibility knowledge within the department and campus community.

• Maintain ongoing communication with third-party vendors, such as publishers, content providers, and software vendors.

This is a full-time (39 hours/week) endowed position that is based in Ithaca, NY. This position follows a very flexible hybrid work arrangement that consists of working on campus approximately 1 day/week. This hybrid work arrangement is subject to change at any time. Work hours are flexible, but will be mutually agreed upon.   

What You Need

We are seeking a team member who is passionate about disability and higher education, experienced in creating accessible documents and media, and skilled in online collaboration. Additionally, you will: 

• Hold an Associate’s degree with 2 to 4 years of relevant experience in the field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Have the aptitude to organize multiple tasks and maintain information/communication systems in the management of service delivery.

• Hold a strong commitment to collaborative work.

• Be competent with Microsoft office and databases.

• Have strong computer/technical skills and ability to quickly learn, use, and troubleshoot new software and adaptive equipment.

• Be familiar with best practice guidelines/standards for digital accessibility such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

• Demonstrate a commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.

• Have experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

• Be passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and wellbeing.

• Cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

If you possess these experiences and skills this may be the role for you! There are a few other qualifications we would view as incredibly helpful in this role, to include: 

• Bachelor’s degree.

• Professional certification in accessibility or adaptive technology/supports, such as fromRESNA or IAAP

• Familiarity of university setting.

• Experience working with persons with disabilities and other diverse populations in a post-secondary setting.

• Experience working as a team in a busy office environment.

• Expertise in any of the following: creating Braille and tactile format documents (print or digital); creating accessible documents (print, or digital); working with individuals with print-based disabilities; working in accessible course design; managing complex workflows

• Expertise in specific assistive technologies