Assistive Technology and Accessible Educational Materials (ATAEM) Specialist
Description
At the Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials (AT&AEM) Center at OCALI, we are committed to ensuring access for all people with disabilities. We believe that people with disabilities and those who support them need access to the right materials, technology, and training to ensure they can live their best lives for their whole lives.
We focus on offering specialized training and technical assistance related to assistive technologies, obtaining accessible educational materials for Ohio schools, and maintaining a clearinghouse of AT devices, large print, and braille books for loan. We also offer accessible materials production and dissemination services, and provide an array of expertise and resources to those who support and care for people with disabilities.
The AT&AEM Center is one of OCALI's many centers that work collaboratively to inspire change and promote access for people with disabilities. OCALI staff are leaders in their respective fields and have the opportunity to work and collaborate with other local, state, national and international leaders.
The AT&AEM Specialist will have the opportunity to:
- Work collaboratively with colleagues on projects;
- Consult on assistive technology and accessible formats for educational materials with other OCALI Center projects/activities;
- Connect with professionals across the nation, state, and locally to implement best practices;
- Develop products and resources in the areas of education, assistive technology, and/or accessibility;
- Deliver professional development to a variety of audiences;
- Share OCALI resources at local and national conferences;
- Increase access to curricular and educational materials for students; and
- Work in a fast-paced environment with a great deal of variety and considerable opportunity to use creativity and problem-solving skills.
This position will work collaboratively with a team of 11 staff within the AT&AEM Center including AEM and AT Specialists, Lending Library Librarian, and AEM Production Specialists to deliver products and services. This position will fulfill needs in both assistive technology and accessibility for educational materials and occasionally work with OCALI staff who may have specific accessibility needs.
Minimum Qualifications:
Required
- Master's degree in education, special education, education administration, related services, or appropriate related field or evidence of equivalency;
- Five years of successful classroom teaching, providing services to adults, or related service experience; a license appropriate to the individual's profession; experience/understanding of planning, instruction, and assessment; experience providing AT and AEM to students;
- Experience in teaching or providing services for students/adults with a broad range of disabilities including those with learning disabilities, physical, and sensory access challenges;
- Willingness to continuously learn and engage in relevant learning activities related to the position;
- Demonstrate innovative thinking, strong initiative, drive to complete projects, and ability to leverage resources while maintaining focus on the global organizational mission;
- Demonstrate a history as a self-directed professional, with strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills;
- Communicates professionally and effectively, in writing and orally, with internal teams and external partners and/or customers;
- Team player who values the success of the overall group; and
- Ability to independently travel within the state for in person meetings, consultation, and professional development when needed.
Ideal candidates will also demonstrate the following preferred skills:
- Knowledge of relevant special education law related to service delivery in the schools;
- Knowledge of service provision systems and intervention supports for adults with disabilities;
- Ability to make data driven decisions for the implementation of monitoring and improvement efforts;
- Focused planning skills, including research-based instructional and intervention practices;
- Effective coaching and consultation skills;
- Knowledge of culturally responsive practices and inclusive of diverse populations;
- Ability to deliver high-quality professional development;
- Knowledge of current educational practices (e.g. differentiated instruction, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Multi-System Youth (MSY), etc.);
- Comfort in online learning environments and virtual conferencing;
- Possess general knowledge of assistive technology;
- Proficiency across a variety of applications such as Microsoft, Google Drive, and Adobe;
- Knowledge of Ohio's state educational system agencies (e.g. State Support Teams, Educational Service Centers, Department of Education and Workforce, Local Education Agencies, Higher Education, etc.);
- Knowledge of Ohio's state disabilities related agencies (e.g. Department of Developmental Disabilities, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, etc.); and
- Willingness to obtain specialty certifications related to job needs.
Responsibilities and Essential Functions:
Core responsibilities and duties of this position are:
- Provide trainings and resources on assistive technology and accessible educational materials including accessible formats;
- Demonstrate the use of assistive technology and how it increases access for people with disabilities;
- Inform local and state agencies on guidelines and best practices of AT and AEM
- Present on topics surrounding assistive technology, accessibility, accessible educational materials, and OCALI resources across a variety of settings (i.e. conferences, vendor fairs, educational organizations, etc.);
- Engage in professional development and collaborative opportunities provided through online training, in person trainings, conference attendance, and in-person meetings as needed;
- Support the implementation of AT and AEM grant activities at the direction of the grant directors;
- Participate in a variety of work groups or meetings surrounding topics in AT, AEM, and accessibility;
- Ensure OCALI products are created in accessible formats and collaborate with internal accessibility team and product owners to ensure accessibility;
- Support the production of accessible content across a variety of media and platforms including videos, presentations, and documents through OCALI (audio description, accessible PDFs, etc.);
- Work with the production center to collaborate on the development of accessible educational materials for students as well as provide alternate formats for internal requests;
- Collaborate with state and national conference team members to increase general conference accessibility;
- Consult or provide high quality technical assistance via multiple mediums (phone, email, Teams/Zoom, in-person) in the area of AT or AEM; and
- Completes other duties as assigned by OCALI directors and the center director, which may include supporting district technical assistance initiatives, grant writing, meeting attendance, developing reports, analyzing data, etc.
What's in it for you?
OCALI offers excellent benefits and retirement packages, including eligibility in SERS, as well as access to:
- A mission-driven, innovative, and growing team
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid time off and generous holiday schedule
- Flexible and fast-paced work environment
- Professional learning opportunities
Salary: Commensurate with experience and in accordance with specified salary schedule
Reports To: Program Director of the AT&AEM Center at OCALI
Application Procedures:
OCALI is a division of the ESCCO, please complete the employment application through their online system.
For questions, please contact:
Augusta Fisher at augusta_fisher@ocali.org or (614) 410 - 4046.