Assistive Technology Coordinator

The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) is the unit on campus responsible for ensuring reasonable and fair access to the University setting for a diverse population of students with disabilities. With a focus on accessibility, inclusivity, and creating environments free of discrimination, OSAS team members assess and approve reasonable accommodations and services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, both on campus and online.

Under the supervision of the Lead Specialist of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, the Assistive Technology Coordinator is responsible for accommodation and service delivery for students through provision of assistive technology (AT) services and alternative format (AF) for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH), as well as other students with disabilities. The successful candidate must operate in a manner that is student-centered, legally compliant (i.e. disability-related laws), and reflective of best practices in the disability services field.

While this role does not support an assigned caseload of students, this individual will be a key team member and contributor in a fast-paced environment that fosters the full and meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities at the University.

The Office of Student Accessibility Services is a highly collaborative, highly functional team, with a culture of achievement, supportiveness, and inclusivity. The OSAS team has defined and committed to core values of: Accountability, Care, Collaboration, Integrity, Leadership and Skilled Communication. It is important that the successful candidate demonstrate an ability to contribute positively to the team dynamic.

This role requires organization, time management, the ability to work efficiently under deadlines, and strong attention to detail. The individual should be adept with or have a basic understanding of assistive technologies for students with disabilities with a willingness to expand knowledge base and skill. Additionally, this position may involve guiding the work of graduate and undergraduate student staff.

Key Responsibilities

· Works with the Lead Specialist of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, to support the assistive technology needs of students who are DHH and those requiring alternative formats.

· Coordinates and supports the provision of assistive technology (AT) tools, including real-time captioning, transcription services, and FM/DM systems.

· Plans, prepares, and performs specialized in-house conversion and remediation of required academic materials into accessible formats.

· Develops procedures surrounding assistive technology as needed.

· Assists team members on providing services as it relates to assistive technology, communication access (Deaf/Hard of Hearing accommodations), and notetaking services.

· Assists with remediating notes from notetakers to ensure they’re accessible for students and other notetaking support, as needed.

· Supports OSAS staff on assistive technology needs of students, such as providing advice and technical training.

· Assists with general OSAS technology needs and collaborates with other team members to provide disability-related accommodations.

· Duties and responsibilities can be adjusted to meet the needs of OSAS.

Essential Skills

· Disability-related laws and Guidelines: Knowledge of, or ability to quickly learn, understand, and apply disability-related laws (i.e. ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and 508) to routine accommodation and service delivery, as well as to basic issue-identification and problem-solving. Maintain student records in accordance with FERPA guidelines.

· Technology: Familiarity with, or ability to quickly learn, assistive technologies for DHH students, such as real-time captioning, CART services, FM/DM systems, and speech-to-text programs. Knowledge of operating systems (PC, Mac). Working knowledge of various programs, including screen readers, screen magnification hardware and software, and text to speech programs. Familiarity with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) remediation software. Adeptness with basic office software (Microsoft Office Suite), email (Outlook), and internet. Ability to format in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of Google Drive, SharePoint and/or OneDrive. Comfort and ability to learn department database to access, update and edit student records.

· Teamwork: Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team, as well as independently. Commitment to ensuring the on-going, successful functioning of the unit via day-to-day and longer-term operations. Willingness to assist staff as needed.

· Communication: Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills demonstrated across a wide range of populations (e.g. students, faculty, academic department contacts, University and Division staff, assistive technology vendors, as well as the OSAS staff). The ability to adapt to various communication styles and maintain professionalism in the face of challenging communications. Exhibit discretion with private and/or confidential student, staff, or other departmental information.

· Judgment: Sound professional judgment, exhibited in areas including, but not limited to: raising issues to the appropriate team member(s), effective prioritization, responsiveness, proactivity, assisting students in distress, safety measures on behalf of the office, etc.

· Time and Project Management: Proven ability to successfully manage and shift between multiple competing priorities, complete necessary work by established deadlines, and provide quality assurance to all deliverables. This individual will demonstrate attention to detail, effective issue identification, excellent organizational skills, trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills and proactivity in work and communication. It is essential that the successful candidate can deliver high quality, time-sensitive work and operate effectively in varying levels of intensity within the department.

Application Procedure: Please include a cover letter with your CV/resume. It can be added to the application at the same time/place you add your CV/resume.

Minimum Qualifications

· Bachelors degree in a relevant field (i.e., Disability Studies; Counseling Psychology; Higher Ed Administration/Student Affairs; etc).

· 1 year working with students with disabilities in an education or counseling setting.

· Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.

Preferred Qualifications

· Direct experience within Disability Services for Higher Education, especially in the areas of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services, Alternative Text/Accessible Media, Notetaking Services, or other related accommodations/services.

The hourly rate range for this position is $23.91 - $32.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer salary alignment, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

#LI-MN1

Minimum Education: - Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: - 1 year, Combined education/experience as substitute for minimum experience Minimum Field of Expertise: - Student personnel administration