Assistive Technology Specialist

Advertising Summary

The Advertising Summary describes the unit, department, mission, and the role of the Assistive Technology Specialist within Virginia Commonwealth University’s Office of Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity (SAEO).

The Assistive Technology Specialist supports SAEO in providing accommodations, assistive technology services, and accessible media to ensure equal access and promote student success. The Specialist carries a primary caseload of students seeking accommodations, determines eligibility for reasonable accommodations, provides follow‑up support, and serves as a campus resource for faculty and staff on disability access. The Specialist coordinates key aspects of assistive technology services (including acquisition), captioning and interpreting support, accessible media production, and assistive technology workshops and training.

The Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring that students with disabilities have timely access to the technology, materials, and supports required for full participation in academic programs.

• Review medical, psychological, educational, and other documentation to determine eligibility for accommodations.
• Conduct intake interviews to identify barriers to full participation in curricular and co‑curricular environments.
• Provide guidance to students on initiating and maintaining services (e.g., intake forms, accommodation requests, Testing Access Center scheduling, faculty communication).
• Advocate for students experiencing extenuating circumstances requiring additional support beyond standard accommodations.
• Serve as a resource for faculty, staff, and advisors on accessibility, accommodations and disability‑related concerns.
• Maintain comprehensive records of student interactions, accommodation decisions, and communications.
• Input case notes and documentation into the SAEO database system.
• Manage a caseload of students requesting accommodations, including temporary injuries.

• Meet 1:1 with students to assess access needs, recommend appropriate assistive technology solutions, and provide individualized training.
• Support students using hardware, software, apps, and other AT tools (e.g., screen readers, speech‑to‑text, text‑to‑speech, note taking tools, alternative input devices).
• Collaborate with SAEO leadership to develop training materials and resources to expand AT knowledge among students, faculty, and staff.
• Assist with maintaining AT inventory, tracking usage, and supporting budget and contract needs.
• Coordinate captioning and interpreting services for students requiring these accommodations.
• Oversee note taking support, including AT‑based solutions and/or the notetaker hiring process.
• Respond to student requests for accessible course materials by obtaining accessible versions from publishers or databases, or remediating documents to ensure compatibility with screen readers and other AT tools.
• Convert course materials into accessible formats (e.g., tagged PDFs, structured Word documents, alt‑text, accessible Power Points).
• Collaborate with SAEO leadership to develop training materials that support faculty and staff in creating accessible course content.

• Assist with SAEO workshops, trainings, and conferences for faculty, students, and campus partners.
• Support and implement student‑facing programs as assigned.
• Provide occasional support to the Testing Access Center (e.g., proctoring, reading, scribing, finals support).
• Serve on university committees as assigned.
• Assist in the development and implementation of office programs and initiatives.
• Represent SAEO at campus events, including occasional evening or weekend commitments.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director or Supervisor.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, Rehabilitation Counseling, Curriculum Design, Educational Technology, or…