Disability Support Services Director, Assistive Technology & Accessibility

Salary: See Position Description
Location : Larimer Campus - Fort Collins, CO
Job Type: Administrator/Professional-Technical Full-Time
Job Number: 202401130
Division: Student Affairs
Opening Date: 12/27/2023
General Summary
This position serves the entire college and has the opportunity to be located at either the Larimer Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado or the Boulder County Campus in Longmont, Colorado.
Who We Are
With three campuses along Colorado's Front Range, Front Range Community College is the state's largest community college. We enroll close to 28,000 students annually from our diverse service area, which offers a variety of cultural and recreational activities.
Each year approximately 5,000 FRCC students transfer to four-year universities. FRCC offers more than 36 career training programs that prepare students for immediate employment and rewarding careers. Last year, more than 5,000 high school students took concurrent enrollment classes with us, earning college credit without having to pay college tuition. And we were recently ranked as one of the "Top Online Colleges" in the country by Newsweek.
One of FRCC's main goals is to offer educational excellence for everyone. The college's strong commitment to student success means we start by creating an inclusive and equitable environment-one where both students and employees feel they belong and are supported. FRCC's focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is woven into the fabric of our college conversations and decision-making processes. We are actively seeking to hire a workforce that reflects the diversity of our student body.
The college is also an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. For us, becoming an HSI is an intentional commitment to being a college where our Latinx (and other historically marginalized) students thrive.
FRCC employees and leaders work hard to create a culture of collaboration, innovation and pride. We're looking to hire people who share these values-along with our commitment to student success, equity and excellence.
Who You Are
As the Disability Support Services Director of Assistive Technology and Accessibility, you will report to the Sr. Director of Disability Support Services and provide leadership and direction for FRCC's Assistive Technology and accessibility services. You will implement Front Range Community College's (FRCC) student focused culture by leading Assistive Technology and accessibility services with a commitment to deliver quality support to students and the community.
In this role, you will make data informed decisions about the implementation and effectiveness of services to best support student success and enrollment. You may manage staff on each campus. You are student-centered and will ensure practices are equity centered.
Ideally, you have a passion for continuous improvement of programs, services and operations that enhance the student and community experience. You are knowledgeable of and stay up to date on best practices in Assistive Technology and accessibility services and work closely with FRCC partners to meet the needs of Students.
This position does have the opportunity to work remotely occasionally but does require a strong on-campus presence and will need to travel to all three FRCC campuses.
Please note: You need to be a Colorado resident on your first day of employment.
SALARY: $66,112 - $69,410 annually
BENEFITS:
SELECTION PROCESS:Position will remain open until filled with a priority deadline of January 15, 2024. This posting may be used to fill multiple or similar positions.
Preliminary screening will be made on the basis of completed application package submitted by candidate. In your application, please include a resume and cover letter that specifically addresses how your background and experience align with requirements, qualification and responsibilities of the Disability Support Services Director of Assistive Technology and Accessibility
Primary Duties
Planning, Service Delivery, & Program Management:

• Provide leadership through the planning, development and management of established Assistive Technology and accessibility policies and procedures.
• Develop Assistive Technology and accessibility services that offer equitable access to all students, including first generation, students with accessibility needs, and underrepresented students, that are grounded in Assistive Technology and accessibility best practices.
• Engage in ongoing assessment and evaluation of policies and procedures through an equity lens and make appropriate adjustments to remove barriers and enhance the student experience.
• Coordinate with faculty, staff, and community partners to identify Assistive Technology and accessibility services needs and develop strategies to evaluate what is needed in the future.
• Create and manage the processes to conduct Assistive Technology evaluations and trainings for students registered with DSS, making modifications as necessary.
• Research, recommend, and maintain Assistive Technology hardware and software programs for use by students with disabilities. Train students and staff in use. Manage licensing and implementation on each campus. Track use and upgrade/replace as necessary.
• Collaborate with DSS Director of Accommodations and Support Services to provide training and education about Assistive Technology and improving accessibility to college constituents.
• Ensure that the computers, Assistive Technology software and hardware are up-to-date and functioning properly in the AT Labs and campus-wide locations. Work with IT to resolve any computer, software, or hardware issues.
• Manage inventory of the Assistive Technology Labs (software and hardware) and the AT borrowing system for all three campuses, and supervises alternative format text creation, remediation, and fulfillment.
• Conduct intake for FRCC students with disabilities (in person and remotely), collect and review documentation of disability, reviews/approves accommodation requests (referring to DSS team as needed), and make appropriate referrals for additional student Support Services.
• Troubleshoot challenges and assist with mediating student and faculty disagreements about accommodations and reviews departmental grievances or accommodation appeals as consistent with college and system procedures.
• Consult with administrators and staff to implement design strategies and reasonable accommodations that mitigate barriers identified by individual disabled people.
• Facilitate dialogue and coordinate accommodations between students with disabilities and faculty.
• Maintain case notes for student and staff meetings and interactions, maintain calendar and scheduling, and update DSS databases.

Leadership & Supervision:

• Provide leadership, education, and guidance on the Digital Accessibility Content Committee to support the college with developing, remediating, and maintaining accessible digital content.
• Provide leadership to a collaborative one-college culture for student success. Serve on college, divisional and departmental committees and work collaboratively with colleagues to foster teamwork, team building and a culture of trust.
• Provide leadership and supervision to direct reports, modeling behavior and demeanor that supports expected standards and the program mission.
• Train, supervise, and evaluate direct reports in accordance with policies, procedures and applicable state and federal laws.
• Work closely with Human Resources and Organizational Development to identify and expand appropriate training and professional development opportunities for staff and to create an effective onboarding process for all direct reports that supports engagement and retention.
• Develop efforts to recruit, retain, supervise, and support a diverse staff.
• Provides mentorship, support and guidance to all direct reports and their teams to foster data-driven, care-centered, and equity-minded decision making.
• As disability is an aspect of diversity of life and integral to the Front Range community, the Director of Assistive Technology & Accessibility and Education collaborates with FRCC staff and faculty to ensure that persons with disabilities are welcomed as equal members into the diverse and inclusive environment of the college.
• Collaborate with the college community to engage in proactive institutional strategic planning and course development to promote accessibility and Universal Design for Learning principles.
• Establish and maintain ongoing professional relationships with faculty, staff and professionals in the community, including local agencies and community organizations and resources related to Assistive Technology and accessibility.

Collaboration and Partnership:

• Consult with Testing Centers to ensure Assistive Technology used for testing is updated and functioning properly so students with accommodations have equal access for assessments.
• Coordinate with Enrollment Management and Student Success partners to ensure cross-departmental collaboration.
• Partner with the Office of Equity & Inclusion to ensure an equitable experience for all students utilizing Assistive Technology and accessibility services.
• Act as an accessibility/ADA advocate for the campuses and college; observes and reports physical and remote accessibility problems to Dean of Student Development and Director of Facilities.
• Serve on campus, college, and state-wide committees related to Assistive Technology and/or accessibility as required to represent disability-related perspective.
• Remain informed of educational opportunities, best practices, community resources, and state and federal laws, regulations, and policies regarding accessibility and disability rights by monitoring case law outcomes reached through Office of Civil Rights, based on mandates from the ADA Amendments Act, Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, FERPA, Fair Housing Act, and college and Colorado Community College System policies.

Assessment:

• Partner with the Sr. Director of DSS and Institutional Research to compile, analyze and present statistical data as directed by student needs and requested by leadership.
• Engage in ongoing assessment and evaluation of Assistive Technology and accessibility polices and services and makes appropriate recommendations to respond to issues impacting a quality student experience, efficiency, equity, and inclusion.
• Administer various reports for college and departmental use.

Budget Management

• Partner with the Sr. Director of DSS to assess the fiscal needs of the department; make budget requests in accordance with the division's priorities.

Required Competencies

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Demonstrates behaviors that convey the importance of diverse lived-experiences and using an equity lens to guide decisions. Embraces diversity, promotes equity and creates an environment of inclusion.
• Building a Diverse Team: Seeks to understand the individual strengths on the team and uses those talents to make the most impact for students. Hires individuals from diverse backgrounds that support values and appreciation for individual differences.
• Commitment to Values: Demonstrates leadership and collaborative behaviors and actions that support FRCC values. Promotes an environment where equity creates opportunities for all students to achieve their educational goals.
• Student Success Focus: Makes decisions that support a student-first culture.
• Operational Planning: Turns the strategic plan into an operational roadmap that guides the division. Supports teams in tying their goals to the college's strategic plan and charges them to do the same with the employees they supervise.
• Change Catalyst: Demonstrates ability to be nimble and willing to pivot if new data becomes available that can influence outcomes; understands that change is constant and requires flexibility.
• Communication: Communicates effectively with individuals with diverse backgrounds. Chooses words carefully in communications.
• Motivation: Inspires oneself and others to reach goals and/or perform to the best of their ability.
• Collaboration: Works with colleagues across departments, specifically when job processes are integrated to strategically focus on ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness for students.
• Data Analysis: Prioritizes data analysis in the department and communicates the importance of having concrete information on outcomes to base decisions.
• Relationship Building: Demonstrates outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to establish positive and respectful working relationships with students, staff, and faculty.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Coaches and/or mentors direct reports. Offers professional development opportunities for staff on topics that contribute to their success.
• Evaluation for Improvement: Uses ongoing evaluation as a process and program improvement tool. Works with the team to ensure everyone is aware about how the evaluation process works and why it is important.
• Problem Solving: Demonstrates the ability to examine problems and identify the root cause(s). Develops and implements processes to address problems so the process works as intended.
• Compliance Framework: Maintains knowledge about the rules, regulations, and policies that the college must comply with, most specifically in relation to the department. Ensures that teams also understand the compliance framework. Routinely assesses the department's operations to ensure compliance is being maintained.

Qualifications
Required Education/Training & Work Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, with 3 or more years of related experience.
• Experience providing leadership in disability services at an institute of higher...