Instructional Digital Accessibility Specialist
About the role
The Instructional Digital Accessibility Specialist serves a key role in fostering an inclusive digital learning environment at Case Western Reserve University. This position is responsible for providing the training and services needed to promote and enhance equitable access to the digital course content and learning resources essential for excellence in teaching and learning.
Responsibilities
Design, promote, and deliver training, consultation, and support by providing a comprehensive portfolio of workshops, webinars, resource guides, and self-paced online resources for the Case Western Reserve University community focused on digital accessibility and Universal Design (UD).
Provide expert one-on-one consultations and small-group support to faculty to assist them in evaluating and remediating their digital course materials within the Canvas learning management system, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for accessibility.
Develop practical, hands-on training focused on creating accessible instructional content, including Microsoft Word documents, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and ensuring proper captioning for video and audio content.
Stay current on evolving technical standards (WCAG), emerging trends in assistive technology, and best practices in the field of digital accessibility as related to in-person, blended, and distance education.
Collaborate across campus to advance communication and innovation by regularly meeting with and seeking feedback from representatives from the Provost office, academic departments, UCITE, Disability Resources, UTech, and other campus departments and organizations to promote digital accessibility principles, raise awareness of available support services, and adapt training and outreach strategies as needed.
Serve on the University's digital accessibility implementation committee. Recommend and participate in innovative projects aimed at using technology to improve digital accessibility, including AI.
Recruit, hire, train, and manage a team of student workers dedicated to assisting faculty with the remediation of digital course content.
Develop and oversee efficient workflows for content intake, remediation, quality assurance, and timely delivery of accessible materials back to faculty.
Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for student workers, offering them meaningful, paid work experience in a high-demand technology field.
Audit accessible content. Conducts comprehensive accessibility evaluations of digital course materials, learning management system (LMS) content, electronic documents, and other academic resources against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, utilizing tools such as UDOIT.
Utilize a combination of automated testing tools and manual testing methodologies, including the use of assistive technologies such as screen readers (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), to identify accessibility barriers in an academic context.
Review and remediate digital documents (PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) to meet WCAG 2.1 A/AA and Section 508 compliance standards while managing remediation services effectively.
Provide support for digital accessibility applications and vendors, including answering Help Desk tickets and providing face-to-face and virtual support.
Qualifications
A Master's degree in instructional design, educational technology, human-computer interaction, information science, or a closely related field. OR Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 2 years of professional experience with a primary focus on digital accessibility, instructional design, academic technology, web design, preferably within a higher education environment.
Prefer professional certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), such as the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).
Experience working directly with faculty in a university setting to improve the accessibility of course materials within a learning management system (e.g., Canvas).
At least one year of experience providing training, consultation, or direct technical support to faculty, staff, or other end-users on technology, accessibility, or instructional design topics.
Experience developing strategic initiatives to improve digital accessibility across academic content including university wide training, web-based communication, and outreach campaigns.
Experience collaborating with a range of relevant stakeholders across higher ed to champion and improve digital accessibility, such as the Provost office, school based academic leadership, faculty, Office of Disability Resources, Centers of Teaching Excellence, University Marketing and Communications and Student Affairs.
Deep understanding of and experience applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to course design and instructional materials.
Experience remediating common document formats, particularly PDF, using tools such as Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards and principles.
Proven experience conducting accessibility audits of digital content and functional testing using both automated tools and manual evaluation with assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers).
A strong working knowledge of relevant federal and state laws pertaining to accessibility in higher education, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
At least one year of demonstrated experience in a lead or supervisory capacity, such as managing student workers, interns, project teams, or coordinating the work of others.
Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with ability to explain complex technical concepts effectively to a non-technical academic audience.
Willingness to learn and work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies.
Ability to demonstrate successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
Ability to meet consistent attendance.
Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.