Assistant Director of Digital Accessibility Initiatives

The University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) seeks applicants for an Assistant Director of Digital Accessibility Initiatives (ADDAI). The position is ideal for experienced and passionate professionals excited to serve as a key contributor to UVA’s on-going efforts to foster and support a culture of inclusion for those with disabilities.

The ADDAI will be a steadfast champion and advocate for digital accessibility in teaching and learning at UVA. This will require the ADDAI to:

• Develop and deliver digital accessibility training workshops.
• Design knowledge based materials and creative marketing campaigns to proactively encourage and support instructors’ efforts to create accessible course sites, electronic documents, and other digital resource materials.
• Develop and implement a train-the-trainer model to strategically engage a wider reach for instructor learning about digital accessibility.
• Provide supportive consultation regarding digital accessibility.
• Analyze institutional data to identify trends in accessible course content and make recommendations for how to reduce or remove potential and existing digital accessibility barriers.
• Provide guidance for the review, procurement, and adoption of new learning and/or assistive technologies.
• Proactively review emergent national trends to actively contribute to university-level conversations and initiatives supporting digital accessibility, particularly the newly established Digital Accessibility Working Group.
• Partner with a range of institutional leaders, including other accessibility-focused units, to support and advance shared strategic objectives.

The CTE, which is a nationally recognized, mature, well-resourced, and growing center for teaching and learning, especially seeks applicants who embrace the Center’s mission and core values of educational equity and inclusion; who thrive in work settings that encourage autonomy, creativity, and teamwork; and who wish to engage deeply in meaningful work in a supportive environment. As a member of the CTE’s professional staff, the ADDAI will contribute their full effort to advancing the Center’s digital accessibility work.

Minimum Requirements

Candidates must possess these minimum qualifications:

• Master’s degree and a minimum of five years’ experience supporting accessibility efforts. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Knowledge of disability law (including recent revisions to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act), inclusive educational design, and disability frameworks and their application in higher education.
• Advanced knowledge of WCAG digital and web accessibility standards and guidelines.
• Experience developing interactive workshops and providing one-on-one consultations for higher education instructors.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment to achieve goals.

Competitive candidates will possess some, though not necessarily all, of the following preferred qualifications:

• Experience supporting the digital accessibility of teaching and learning materials and technologies in a higher education setting, particularly at a large, decentralized institution.
• Experience partnering with academic leadership and other accessibility compliance units such as Student Disability Resources personnel and ADA office, for organizational change and strategic planning.
• Strong working knowledge of and experience with:
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles
  • assistive technologies, including screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech-to-text applications
  • instructional technology, including learning management systems, particularly Canvas

• Familiarity with accessibility documentation provided by technology vendors, such as a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) or Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), and the ability to determine accessibility level of products using WCAG and WAI-ARIA standards.
• IAAP certification (e.g. CPACC, WAS) or other digital accessibility qualifications.
• Experience creating content for dynamic, public-facing websites.
• Experience teaching in higher education settings

About the Position

The position allows for a hybrid work model that requires on-grounds presence at least two days a week. For additional information about the position, please contact the search committee chair Barbara Zunder, Director, Student Disability Access Center.

This position will remain open until it is filled. Review of applicants will begin in early November This is an exempt-level, benefited position. The anticipated Hiring Range is $75,000.00 – $90,000.00 commensurate with education and experience.

To Apply

Please apply through the UVA Job Board, and search for R0066373. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching ‘Find Jobs’. Complete an application online and include the following documents:

• Resume or curriculum vita.
• Cover Letter that addresses your specific interest in the position, relevant experience supporting digital accessibility, and how you envision helping the CTE and UVA continue to foster and support a culture of inclusion, especially for those with disabilities.
• Contact information for three professional references.

Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to making a final offer of employment. The Center for Teaching Excellence and the University of Virginia are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers. The CTE is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we encourage applications from candidates whose voices are typically underrepresented in educational development, especially those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and/or LGBTQIA+. For questions about the application process, please contact Michele Jarman, Academic Recruiter.

About Charlottesville and UVA

Charlottesville and central Virginia offer a distinctive community for both personal and professional activities. A strong sense of community exists in the region along with excellent educational systems for adults and children. Charlottesville is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers a thriving community, highlighted by regular literary, film, musical, theatrical, and historical festivals. For more information about UVA please click here; for information about the Charlottesville community please see  Charlottesville & Beyond and Embark. For more information on the benefits at UVA, please click here.

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.