Disability Specialist

About SAIC

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a leading institution that educates influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago, SAIC offers a graduate program ranked among the top four in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, along with world-class resources like the Art Institute of Chicago Museum.

SAIC's undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world. Notable alumni and faculty include Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About The Department

The Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) supports a universally accessible educational community that fosters full participation and contribution of every member. The DLRC delivers innovative and high-quality services to SAIC students with disabilities and facilitates reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to all programs, activities, and services of the institution.

The DLRC empowers students to advocate for their own learning needs, identifies and responds to dynamic student needs, and cultivates opportunities for students to articulate their strengths. The DLRC works collaboratively with students, faculty, and campus colleagues to remove barriers to learning while promoting inclusive educational practices.

Position Summary

The Disability Specialist advances the mission of the DLRC by supporting equal and equitable access and full participation for students with registered disabilities. The position engages students in the interactive accommodation process, reviews disability-related documentation and student-reported information, determines reasonable academic and housing accommodations, and coordinates implementation in accordance with applicable laws and professional best practices.

Responsibilities

• Engages students in an individualized, interactive accommodation process through intake meetings and ongoing consultation.
• Reviews student self-report, disability documentation, functional impacts, and other relevant information to determine reasonable accommodations appropriate to an art and design curriculum, including studio modifications, critique adjustments, material safety accommodations, alternative formats for visual work, and other individualized accommodations.
• Applies the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Fair Housing Act (FHA), institutional policies, and professional standards to determine, coordinate, implement, and monitor academic and housing accommodations across classrooms, studios, fabrication facilities, residence halls, field experiences, and other institutional programs, activities, and services.
• Provides individualized disability-related support that promotes self-advocacy and student success through learning strategies, executive functioning support, organization, time management, assistive and adaptive technologies, and referrals to appropriate campus resources.
• Evaluates disability-related housing accommodation requests and collaborates with Residence Life and campus partners to coordinate and monitor approved accommodations.
• Collaborates with faculty and campus partners to support accommodation implementation, understand course learning outcomes and studio practices, maintain essential academic and program requirements, and address questions related to disability access and potential fundamental alterations.
• Serves as a disability and accessibility resource by providing consultation, education, and guidance that identifies barriers and advances accessible, inclusive, and equitable practices across academic, creative, and campus environments.
• Captures access needs and recommends appropriate assistive and adaptive technologies.
• Utilizes AIM and other departmental systems to manage accommodation administration, documentation, communication, reporting, and confidential student records while contributing to assessment and continuous improvement of DLRC services.
• Leads or participates in departmental committees, task forces, projects, and strategic initiatives through research, planning, implementation, stakeholder coordination, communication, and continuous improvement activities.
• Collaborates with the Director, DLRC colleagues, faculty, and campus partners to advance departmental priorities, improve programs and service delivery, and support operational effectiveness.
• Maintains current knowledge of disability law, fair housing law, accessibility, assistive technology, and emerging practices in higher education disability services through ongoing professional development.
• Exercises sound professional judgment, maintains confidentiality, participates in departmental and institutional initiatives, and performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's (Master's preferred) degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, Disability Studies, Higher Education, Education, Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible professional experience in higher education disability services or accessibility services.
• Equivalent training, education, and/or experience may be considered.
• Experience working with art and design students or familiarity with studio-based, practice-based, performance-based, or critique-based pedagogy.
• Experience evaluating disability-related housing accommodation requests and collaborating with Residence Life or comparable campus partners.
• Experience supporting students through learning strategies, executive functioning, self-advocacy, assistive technology, and Universal Design for Learning principles within creative learning environments.
• Experience using AIM or another disability services case management system.
• Experience leading projects, committees, task forces, or process improvement initiatives.