Herc-Higher Education Recruitment Consortium

Position Summary

The Digital Information Accessibility Coordinator's primary responsibility is to ensure equitable access to university technologies and content. This position ensures technology compliance with campus and accepted accessibility standards and Universal Design. The Accessibility Coordinator acts as the accessibility expert in university technology initiatives and ensures that accessibility is part of the initial requirements for any technology initiative. This position also works with faculty/staff on best practices and guidelines for creating accessible content for use on Rice's public websites, within the Canvas learning management system (LMS), and other university technologies. Flexible work schedule is available.

Essential Functions

• Evaluate and remediate current campus technologies and training materials
• Develop best practices/guidelines for future technologies
• Work closely with the Disability Resource Center, Center for Teaching Excellence university committees, and other stakeholders on campus technology accessibility
• Work with the Procurement Office to ensure accessible technology purchasing
• Frequent interactions with vendors, including Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) review, hands-on testing, and negotiating remedies
• Testing websites and applications for internal and external clients to ensure standards are met
• Develop content used to engage constituents and grow channels
• Develop integrated communications and/or marketing plans to meet objectives
• Recommend, develop and implement the digital communication and brand strategy for the campus
• Act as the internal campus expert for digital accessibility community efforts, building support for social initiatives among internal stakeholders and driving digital accessibility best practices
• Contribute to overall development and refinement of campus-wide digital accessibility community strategy and innovative social initiatives
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions / Information

• Serves as campus expert for accessible content
• Works with faculty/staff to ensure all materials in campus LMS are accessible
• Leads workshops for faculty/staff on making content accessible
• Serves as a member of the university-wide accessibility committee
• Works with faculty/staff to remediate inaccessible websites and other public-facing information
• Engages with vendors to improve their product's accessibility compliance

Experience and Education Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 2 years of related experience in leading accessibility workshops and training for small groups
• 2 years of related experience in developing and delivering training and effective support materials

Substitutions

• In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted
• In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted

Skills Required

• Expert knowledge of applicable Federal and State laws/standards (ADA, WCAG 2.1, etc.)
• Ability to communicate effectively (written, interpersonal, verbal) with faculty and staff members at all levels of the organization
• Commitment to providing outstanding service and support to students, faculty, and staff
• Strong capability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
• Strong attention to detail and ability to learn new technologies quickly
• Knowledge of instructional design methodologies, pedagogical issues, and best practices for the classroom, both online and hybrid learning

Preferences

• Experience
  • Experience working with users to implement accessibility standards
  • Experience evaluating third-party technology systems against accessibility standards
  • Experience working with higher education faculty
  • Experience drafting accessible technology guidelines, procedures, and policies
  • Experience with implementing and using assistive technologies such as screen readers, captioning systems, screen enhancement technology, EIT mobility devices, etc.
  • Experience working with any of the following types of systems: learning management systems, student information systems, multimedia management systems, content management systems, databases
• Skills
  • Strong knowledge of Universal Design for Learning principles
  • Strong commitment to accessibility principles
  • Strong knowledge of assistive technology hardware and software (JAWS, NVDA, etc.)
  • Ability to process vendor VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) statements
  • Experience in web development
  • Experience supporting both online and traditional courses
• Working Conditions
  • This position will be considered for remote work arrangements.
  • This position often requires being seated for prolonged periods
  • On occasion may have to travel from one part of campus to another
  • Will be required to carry a cell phone and be reachable during off-hours as determined by management
  • May be required to work weekends or evenings for major project deadlines or events

The Rice University Office of Information Technology
https://oit.rice.edu/

Rice University HR / Benefits website
https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies