Director of Center for Students with Disabilities and ADA Coordinator - Center for Students with Disabilities - Student Affairs

Universities of Wisconsin • Whitewater, WI

6d • $85,000 - $95,000

About The Position

This is a senior leadership position within the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) within the division of Student Affairs. Since 1968, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has a priority mission for serving students with disabilities, who are an essential part of the accessibility that defines the institution, and the Center for Students with Disabilities is recognized as a statewide leader and national trailblazer in providing exceptional disability services. CSD supports over 12% of enrolled students and embraces a social justice model of disability services, emphasizing intersectionality, collective access, and Universal Design. This position provides vision, leadership, assessment, and long-term strategic planning for CSD and services to students with disabilities including, but not limited to direct student services, determination of eligibility for services, provision of reasonable accommodations, and supervision of programs. The Director will work collaboratively across the University and with the regional community to implement CSD's and the University's mission and goals. Partnering with units such as Human Resources, Information Technology Services, and Compliance, this position will also coordinate and serve as the primary contact for disability- and accessibility-related efforts at the institutional level. This is a full-time, annual appointment; the Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students-working closely with the Well-being units which include University Health and Counseling Services and Dean of Students office.

Requirements

• A master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, Counseling, Communicative Disorders, School Psychology, Psychology, Higher Education, Special Education, or closely related field.
• At least six years of professional and progressively more responsible experience in the field of higher education student disability services.
• At least three years of experience supervising professional staff members.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state regulations (Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) and compliance issues related to disability in higher education.
• Budget and financial management experience.

Nice To Haves

• Student-centered philosophy when making decisions, creating programs, and advising students across a spectrum of disabilities.
• A high degree of cultural competency, a passion for working with students from underrepresented backgrounds, and a commitment to access and inclusion.
• Experience building relationships with stakeholders from across campus and externally, such as prospective students and their families, alumni, faculty, instructional staff, non-academic staff and units, and external stakeholders.
• Experience developing and aligning policies, procedures, and outcomes to meet strategic needs.
• Strong project management experience and ability to think strategically about long-term unit objectives while managing and balancing the day-to-day demands on your, and your teams' time and energy.
• Sensitivity to student needs and the ability to communicate and collaborate on many different levels to the diverse student, family, faculty, administrative, and community contacts this position encounters.
• Knowledge of higher education models, student success and retention, and student development.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and policies related to higher education and individuals with disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision, leadership, assessment, and long-term strategic planning in assessing CSD's contribution to the priority mission of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and CSD department.
• Provide campus leadership on general access issues, advocating and collaborating for the full inclusion of students with disabilities in all aspects of campus life.
• Build partnerships with Academic Affairs, including academic departments, and faculty members to create an inclusive and accessible university experience that maintains academic rigor and professional standards.
• Overall recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation of eleven professional staff members. Provide support and professional development to all team members.
• Oversee the evaluation of medical and psychological documentation, the determination of service eligibility, and the provision of appropriate academic accommodations.
• Research, develop, implement, and assess programming based on best practices and data driven models.
• Oversee planning, analysis, and expenditures for annual departmental budget of approximately $1.2 million in state and GPR funding and over $20,000 in annual scholarship funds from private donors and endowments.
• Develop, interpret, and implement university, federal, and state policy in conjunction with the Universities of Wisconsin’s Office of General Counsel, the institutional Compliance Officer, and other departments to ensure qualified students with disabilities receive appropriate disability-related accommodations while also maintaining academic integrity.
• Develop, review, and revision of written policies and guidelines for institutional rights and responsibilities with respect to service provisions.
• Be a partner in developing and delivering outreach, training, and resources to the campus.
• Compile and analyze data for annual reports and other program assessments.
• Work with the team of disability staff coordinators to assure individual program quality and consistency.
• Represent the Center for Students with Disabilities, the Division of Student Affairs, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater as assigned across the campus, system, state, and federal agencies/organizations.
• Coordinate and serve as the primary point of contact for the campus community regarding ADA and Section 504 concerns and collaborate with the relevant units to address compliance efforts.
• Provide disability- and accessibility-related vision and leadership to proactively assess and ensure institutional-level compliances with the ADA and Section 504.
• Compile and maintain data and provide reports regarding Institutional ADA and Section 504 compliance to senior campus leadership.
• Work collaboratively with student affairs units, academic colleges, departments, and units to bridge multiple university agendas and priorities.
• Serve on university and professional committees to advance the needs of students and staff with disabilities’ initiatives at the institutional level.
• Other duties as assigned to support CSD, Student Affairs and University.

Benefits

• UW System employees receive an excellent benefit package.
• To learn more about the UW System's comprehensive benefit package, review the UW System Employee Benefits Brochure.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees