Backup Sighted Assistant - Temporary

Position Overview

Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), a research center at the University of Kansas (KU), is seeking a Sighted Assistant. The Sighted Assistant will assist an employee who is blind in utilizing various software programs. This may include translating materials that are not already in an accessible format, verbally reading content, and assisting with navigating documents and software programs.

ATLAS promotes learning and improved outcomes for all students, with a focus on students with disabilities and struggling learners. ATLAS creates technology‑based learning and assessment systems that are accessible and academically rigorous. Dynamic research on skill development, assessment design, and teacher professional development informs the center's map‑based learning systems.

With a diverse portfolio of grant‑funded research projects and operational alternate assessments, ATLAS is a leader in educational research and innovation. ATLAS drives progress through partnerships and collaborations with organizations that share its focus and commitment.

ATLAS is committed to creating policies and practices that foster a culture in which all employees feel they belong and can succeed.

Visit the ATLAS website to learn how the center improves the learning landscape for all students.

KU's excellence is a result of the rich tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of our faculty, staff, students, and colleagues from across our nation and the globe. At KU we invest in continuous learning and growth by creating a climate where people engage in respectful dialogue and debate and support each other's success. We foster a culture of care where each person is valued.

When people feel a true sense of belonging, we believe they are better able to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable things.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment. KU is not able to provide H‑1B sponsorship for this position.

35% - Interacting with inaccessible platforms and files. Duties may include:

• Interacting with documents placed in secure spaces such as SharePoint or shared drive via a screen share. Enter commentary where directed.
• Verbally reading the content of, navigating about, and entering information into Web portals that are not screen‑reader accessible. This may include but is not limited to portals for surveys, training courses, doodle polls, and documents requesting electronic signatures.
• Assisting the employee through screen share and control, navigating digital environments including documents, webpages, software, etc. This entails the sighted assistant verbalizing context, then responding or navigating according to the employee's needs. This is especially important when dealing with a document loaded with commentary from one or more reviewers or navigating through forms and content portals.

35% - Accessible document translation and creation. Duties may include:

• Converting materials that cannot be found in an already accessible electronic format into a Microsoft Word document. Examples of documentation may include but are not limited to: PDFs, Power Points, Webpages, Word Documents with track changes, center‑wide manuals, articles published in academic journals, and materials related to on‑site external review events.
• In meetings, tracking and creating real‑time accessible companion documents for meeting materials during team review sessions. This involves tracking and copying comments left on shared documents while providing context for later review.
• Assisting with copy‑editing, creating work documents and organizing feedback. This entails the sighted assistant verbalizing context such as a small amount of text either before or after a comment to contextualize, then typing responses articulated by the employee. During the editing process, the sighted assistant will make formatting changes and edits as directed by the employee. This may also entail creating separate documents with active or live changes for the employee review later on.
• Assisting with presentation creation. Involves creating companion…