Job Description

Title: Director of Accessible Education

Position Purpose:

The Director of Accessible Education is responsible for ensuring compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act, and related federal and state regulations as they pertain to students. Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Students, the Director manages day-to-day operations of the office, coordinates the logistics of testing and other reasonable accommodations, and provides front-line guidance and assistance to students, parents, faculty, and staff. The Director partners closely with colleagues on campus to identify and help address barriers to full and equal access for students with disabilities. In addition, the Director will serve as a Student Support Advisor, providing personal support and supplemental academic advising to a cohort of students.

Job Duties:

Accommodation Support:

• Provide direct services to students with disabilities including determining eligibility for accommodations and implementation of accommodations. 
• Evaluate, approve and supervise the provision of all mandated and non-mandated services for students with disabilities.
• Provide support to students, working as needed with administrators, faculty, and staff members to ensure compliance with federal mandates as well as inclusive design practices and principles that support the campus environment.
• Provide consultation to prospective students, current students, parents, staff, and faculty around issues related to access. 
• Coordinator logistics for accommodations, including peer note taking, text in alternative format, and captioning. 
• Manage access and inventory of assistive technology resources and provide basic training to students.
• Facilitate referrals to resources across campus to provide holistic access to support. 
• Coordination of support for students via consultation with faculty, student affairs staff, and other campus offices to support student access to experience on campus.

Student Support Advisor:

• Serve as Student Support Advisor to a cohort of students throughout their academic career.
• Advise students managing personal challenges to connect with supports and ensure academic and personal success.
• Provide supplemental academic advising as needed as students negotiate their academic development.
• Assist students in negotiating academic policies such as leaves, course deferrals, and other process.

Student Affairs:

• Serve on the Student Affairs “on-call” rotation, providing timely response and support for student emergencies.
• Participate in team projects that enhance the quality or efficiency of Student Affairs.
• Participate in Senior Week, Commencement, Winter Carnival, and other campus wide events including events, protests, and crisis support,  to provide support and student supervision as needed.
• Support the Associate Dean in other projects related to operations, student accountability, community standards.
• Participate in national and regional professional development opportunities to ensure the implementation and assessment of best practices related to student life.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

• Master’s degree in Special Education, Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, student development, higher education, or related field preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience considered.

Experience

• Minimum of three years of professional experience, preferably in disability services in a post-secondary setting.
• Experience working in collaborative and dynamic office environments.
• Experience working within a complex office environment with frequently shifting tasks and priorities.
• Experience working with multiple constituencies in sometimes difficult and stressful situations.
• Strong working knowledge of assistive/adaptive technology.
• Demonstrated success in supporting students from underrepresented groups, including students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, first-generation-to-college students, LGBTQ+ identified students, students with disabilities, and low-income students.

Skills and Knowledge

• Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
• A strong social justice orientation and understanding of disability as a social construct, including an approach to work that focuses on barrier-removal.
• Working knowledge of the history of special education and disability in K-12 and higher education in the United States.
• Working knowledge of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, its 2008 amendments, and other appropriate laws pertaining to higher education and disabilities.
• Knowledge about and skills in developmental, psychological, and medical issues in the college student population.
• Strong problem-solving skills and demonstrated track record of effectively working with students in crisis.
• Excellent judgment and awareness for interpersonal dynamics.
• Ability to remain composed, friendly, and demonstrate poise under stress.
• Excellent communication (written, verbal and presentation) skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships with clientele such as students, staff, faculty and community partners.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly synthesize information from a variety of sources in order to make informed recommendations for the best welfare of students.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive student information.
• Ability to effectively engage with diverse personalities and manage difficult situations.
• Ability to learn and be comfortable with various types of assistive technology such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, notetaking software, and other software.
• Proficiency in basic data management systems and assessment practices (e.g., Microsoft Word and Excel, Power Point, WordPress [website], Google docs, email, and calendar).
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision.

Benefits:  

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff.  Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations.  All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu .

About Bates:

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.

About Bates College

Founded in 1855, Bates is one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, with a long history of commitments to principles of human dignity and diversity.Since its inception, Bates has been a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor and to programs and opportunities by qualified learners of all backgrounds. Historically, Bates students and graduates have linked education with service, leadership, and obligations beyond themselves.Bates has highly competitive admission, graduates over 90% of its entering students, and over half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates has 1,700 students, 200 faculty members and 550 staff and administrative employees.The College is proud of its strong involvements in the Lewiston-Auburn communities, Maine’s second largest urban area, with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 109-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, Maine, a lively small city enjoying an exciting economic and cultural revitalization. With an engaged citizenry, lively arts scene, and historic downtown, this walkable city is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 340 miles north of New York City.

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