Director , Disability Support Services

College Overview

Located 45 minutes from the Nation’s Capital, nestled in a history‑rich community of southern Maryland, The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has been twice named in the top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute with academic programs in over 100 disciplines. CSM is among America’s top 100 producers of Minority associate degrees in twenty categories, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

CSM offers excellent health insurance benefits;
State Retirement Pension plan; wellness programs;
Code Green early closure Fridays in the summer; college closure for spring break and several major holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year; and for several days in March for Spring Break. We are an innovative institution committed to student success and well known for our flexibility to meet student and community needs.

The Director manages the office of Disability Support Services across all campus locations by providing leadership, planning and supervision for the disability support function. The Director hires, trains, and supervises professional and support staff. The individual in this position directs transition outreach activities on all campuses, collaborates with Division of Learning to conduct pre‑semester information/in‑service training sessions for faculty and staff regarding ADA policies and practices, and keeps abreast of all pertinent laws and regulations relating to ADAAA issues.

Reports to:

Dean, Financial Assistance and Retention

Salary:
The hiring salary for this position will be from the min to mid‑point of the salary range advertised. This position is open until filled.

• Develop and recommend policy and procedures relating to Disability Support Services.
• Supervise the DSS coordinator staff and the Administrative Assistant.
• Prepare and manage annual budget for the department for all three counties which includes five different cost centers.
• Diffuse and mediate difficult issues between students, faculty, staff, and parents.
• Conduct and participate in initial interviews to determine eligibility for services and help students with documented disabilities.
• Review and evaluate diagnostic documentation to determine eligibility for services.
• Advocate for the needs of students and the DSS department.
• Develop educational programs and present information to the college community on disability and accessibility related issues.
• Negotiate and review all contractual agreements for Interpreters, and other functions of the department that requires contractual agreements.
• Maintain a student caseload should need exist.
• Recommend short‑and‑long‑term strategic initiatives for ADA compliance and disabilities Support services.
• Review VPAT's completion process to access product accessibility. Support the ADA Coordinator and collaborate with Procurement to ensure vendors are providing the necessary VPAT's.

• Ensure CSM's policies and procedures align with all federal, state and all pertinent case laws, regulations and Dear Colleague letters relating to disability compliance.
• Keep abreast and provide expertise in the application of all relevant laws, case laws, agency guidance, and best practice in the field and provide training and college‑wide communication as needed.
• Advise senior leadership on emerging issues, laws, regulatory changes, and requirements pertaining to Americans Disability Act.
• Coordinate effort and take necessary steps to ensure that college wide compliance requirements are implemented when identified.
• Provide external data to the college, State and Federal Government regarding individuals with disabilities.
• Provide Disability Data to state and federal government and departments as requested.

• Ensure DSS efficiency in managing accommodations requests for students, faculty, and staff.
• Resolve issues and concerns dealing with reasonable accommodations campus wide.
• Member of the Collaboration, Assessment, Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team to address behavioral issues relating to students and provide input specifically…