Assistant Director, AccessibleNU

Department: AccessibleNU
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

About AccessibleNU: AccessibleNU (ANU) is responsible for the academic and on-campus housing accommodation determination and coordination process for students with disabilities. Northwestern University recognizes disability as an essential aspect of our campus, and as such, we actively collaborate with faculty, staff, and students to achieve access goals.

Mission: AccessibleNU supports and empowers students with disabilities by collaborating with the Northwestern community to ensure full participation in the academic learning environment.

Job Summary:

The Assistant Director position serves as a subject matter expert on the academic and on-campus housing ADA reasonable accommodation request process for students. Utilizing a thorough and timely process, daily functions include meeting with students with disabilities, reviewing medical and supplemental documentation, evaluating and determining requests for accommodations, and creating and maintaining case notes. The role serves on the ANU directors team and assists in driving process improvement for efficiency and consistency. In addition, the Assistant Director position collaborates with other ANU staff, coordinates with faculty, academic department leaders, and other campus liaisons, and leads professional development, campus trainings, and outreach events. The position reports to the ANU Associate Directors and ensures institutional compliance with federal, state, and local disability regulations.

Pay Range: The salary range for the Assistant Director of AccessibleNU position is $72,000 to $73,850, depending on experience, skills, and internal equity.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Maintains a full caseload of students and provides ongoing support for undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online students.
• Reviews and processes incoming accommodation requests, ensuring a prompt, thorough, and equitable response to each request:

  • Interprets disability documentation including medical, educational, and/or psychological assessments. Conducts accommodation meetings to gather additional information. Cross-analysis to determine reasonable accommodations.

  • Ensures accommodation determinations align with ANU process and procedures, the Americans with Disabilities Act (as amended), Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, state and local disability regulations, the Fair Housing Act, relevant caselaw and legal guidance, and University policies and procedures.

  • Generates creative and practical solutions to address current and emerging needs, including accommodations for students in off-site placements such as clinical settings, internships, practicums, and experiential learning environments.

  • Uses office database (AIM) to maintain student files including: sending accommodation emails, maintaining confidential documentation, scheduling appointments, case noting, and documenting communications with students and university personnel regarding the accommodation process.

  • Engages with faculty, academic department leaders, and staff to facilitate difficult conversations and coordinate and implement complex accommodations (e.g. flexibility with attendance and deadlines, classroom relocation, furniture placement, clinical arrangements, qualifying exam accommodations, adjustments to program requirements, etc.) while upholding essential course and programmatic requirements and/or technical standards.

• Assists ANU leadership team with overall unit functional areas, including process, procedure, and accommodation management and coordination.
• Provides consultation services, information meetings, presentations, trainings, outreach events, and programming with respect to University disability accommodation processes, definitions, perspectives, implications, applications of professional research, and local, state, and federal laws as requested.
• Leads in developing and implementing strategic planning goals, objectives, and assessments.
• Leads AccessibleNU or University based working groups, committees, events, or other division-wide activities as requested.
• Performs back-up functions such as front desk duties and test proctoring/coordinating.
• Provides in-person support and representation at Division and Dean of Students office functions, including events, meetings, celebrations, commencement, etc.
• Will perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• Master's degree in higher education administration, rehabilitation counseling, social work, psychology or related field
• Minimum of three (3) years related professional experience in the postsecondary environment, working directly with students with various disabilities; similar experience with students outside the postsecondary setting and/or a combination of training and experience may be considered
• Experience with applying the ADAAA, Section 504, Section 508 to accommodation determination
• Familiarity with the complexities of medical documentation and its alignment with accommodation determination, including the interpretation of test results such as the WAIS, Woodcock Johnson, and other diagnostics within the DSM-V.

Skills:

• Ability to problem-solve, collaborate, mediate conflict, and negotiate in challenging situations
• Highly developed facilitation skills to foster a welcoming environment for students
• Highly developed communication skills to build and promote collaborative partnerships with faculty and administration
• Ability to adapt to and openness to change
• Ability to independently manage time in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to exercise independent judgement related to the impact of the disability, how it relates to classroom and housing access, and the legal aspects involved
• Ability to work both independently and in team settings
• Proficiency with a range of assistive technologies, document conversion, adaptive equipment and their application

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior work with graduate, professional, and online students with disabilities
• Demonstrated experience determining clinical and/or offsite accommodations using programmatic technical standards

Working Conditions: This is a hybrid position with requirements to be on-campus approximately 5 times per month for meetings, presentations, events, and accommodation coordination. Office share for on-campus days.

Benefits: At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness: Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth and Development: Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.