ACCESSIBILITY PROJECTS AND TRAINING COORDINATOR (H

The Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO), under the auspices of the Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, has a broad and proactive mandate to work with campus and community partners to promote, develop, coordinate and support initiatives which build individual and organizational capacity to advance equity, diversity and inclusion goals, and to foster a culture of openness, respect, fairness, and inclusion.   EIO reaches out to and engages diverse communities in awareness-raising, prevention education and training activities, promotes and supports community efforts to enhance accessibility and inclusion, supports community members who have experienced sexual violence and facilitates the resolution of community complaints of harassment and discrimination, including failure to reasonably accommodate, on the basis of any human rights protected grounds. 

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Accessibility Program Manager, the Accessibility Projects and Training Coordinator supports the Program Manager in areas of AccessMac Program coordination and training, intersectional accessibility and anti-ableism education, and community engagement with a variety of campus community members, most importantly, community members with disabilities. 

The Accessibility Projects and Training Coordinator will support a range of short and medium-term projects that support compliance with the AODA and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities from a range of intersecting social identities as integral to the core principles and activities of the University; under the guidance of the Program Manager, will deliver education and community-engaged training activities for campus members, support accessibility data collection, act as welcoming and facilitative support for campus community members to connect with the EIO, seeking relevant accessibility and disability-inclusion-related processes, policies, resources, and supports.

At the request of the Accessibility Program Manager, and where appropriate in the case of special events, the Accessibility Projects and Training Coordinator will collaborate with other EIO programs (e.g., Sexual Violence Prevention, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education, and Human Rights and Dispute Resolution) on the development and delivery of education, training or special events in order to ensure an intersectional approach.

Accountabilities:

Coordination and Administration:

• Provides extensive coordination support for the AccessMac Program’s project’s and operations, including building and maintaining workplans, ensuring projects and deliverables are met, coordinating logistics, and being a liaison with campus partners.
• Supports a range of short and medium terms projects by acting as a main point of contact, directing individuals to the appropriate information, providing policy or procedural information, and identifying trends in inquires in order to recommend changes to communications or processes.
• As requested, supports the Accessibility Program Manager in the development of reports, communications, resources, or guidelines which support university-wide accessibility and AODA-compliance efforts.
• Provides administrative support to the Accessibility Program Manager, including note-taking at meetings, website updating, non-intensive graphic design, and non-intensive consultation data tracking.
• Supports coordination of the AODA related data collection and conducts non-intensive data analysis.
• In collaboration with the Accessibility Program Manager, monitors the access@ and aoda@ email accounts, and provides consultation and support to community members as needed.
• Tracks accurate AccessMac data (consultations, events) through the use of the CaseIQ data management system.
• Ensures continuous improvement to content and navigability of the McMaster Accessibility Hub.
• Drafts workplans for educational trainings and community engagement.

Training and Education

• Works collaboratively with the Manager to fulfill the accessibility-related educational mandate of the AccessMac program by researching, developing and delivering a wide range of workshops and specialized training designed to raise awareness and build skills to ensure AODA compliance. Facilitates and presents these educational sessions to faculty, staff and student audiences.
• Edits and customizes existing accessibility trainings to deliver a tailored experience which incorporate leading accessibility and AODA practices.
• Maintains online training functionality (registration, email responses, etc.) for AODA-compliance related training modules; works closely with Manager Accessibility Program to update modules.

Community Engagement

• Acts as a first point of contact for diverse campus stakeholders, in general, and persons with disabilities.  Escalates complex policy/program matters to the Manager, Accessibility Programs as it is related to the creation of an inclusive campus community.
• Acts as a first point of contact with campus and community partners and with other University and institutional counterparts with specific accessibility portfolios. 
• Supports the Manager, Accessibility in regard to the McMaster Advisory Accessibility Council (MAAC) and other relevant committees with respect to the development of accessibility initiatives and responses.
• Outreaches to the campus community with a strong focus on providing educational opportunities to staff and students; development of partnerships with student leaders in order to identify opportunities for intragroup dialogue and peer support regarding disability-related issues and barriers on campus.
• Coordinates accessibility, anti-ableism and disability-inclusion awareness-raising events (e.g., International Day of Persons with Disabilities; National Accessibility Week). Project coordination for AccessMac community communications (e.g. the Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update, short articles for web, etc.).
• Attends program team meetings, Equity and Inclusion Office team meetings, and participants as a member of various campus committees linked to accessibility and inclusion such as the Employee Accessibility Network (EAN), and McMaster Facilities Accessibility Design Standards Committee (MacFADS), etc.

Reporting and AODA Compliance

• Supports the AODA Environmental scan with the Manager, Accessibility by compiling and tracking submissions, questions, etc.
• Supports web accessibility compliance initiatives and activities across campus with guidance from the Manager of the Accessibility Program, and in partnership with UTS.
• Works closely with the Accessibility Program Manager, and other EIO staff to ensure fully accessible websites, web content across the EIO websites, and maintains and updates the Accessibility Hub website.
• Contributes content for the development of the accessibility report for the Equity and Inclusion Office, and for the McMaster Accessibility Advisory Council.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Undergraduate degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience, in a relevant field (e.g., Disability Studies, Education, Social Work, Sociology, Cultural Studies, etc.).

Experience:

• Minimum of two years full-time experience in a related field, preferably within a university setting.
• Minimum of two years experience designing, and delivering accessibility-related workshops or trainings, ideally an intersectional approach.
• Previous experience supporting organizational initiatives that promote compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA).
• Previous experience working with persons with visible and invisible disabilities; and additional experience working with other equity-seeking groups is strongly preferred.
• Lived experienced as a person with a disability; and any other of the following groups: Indigenous (First Nations, Metis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, women, or persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.
• Previous experience coordinating and implementing website compliance and digital accessibility initiatives and trainings.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating awareness-raising campaigns and commemorative events, e.g., the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and other relevant legislation.
• Advanced coordination, administration, and web content skills.
• Excellent presentation, facilitation and public speaking skills.
• Knowledge of curriculum and training content development.
• Experience delivering curriculum and trainings to academic faculty, staff, and students. Experience using and designing on online training course tools is valuable.
• Experience working collaboratively to design accessibility-related public education materials and workshops, and implementing initiatives related to advancing Accessibility and/or AODA compliance on campus.
• Strong ability to set priorities, deadlines, and multi-task to ensure projects and objectives are achieved in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability to use on-line project management tools effectively to manage short and medium-term projects.
• Advanced knowledge in web accessibility AODA compliance, website accessibility, and accessible digital design skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in the application of intersectional anti-oppressive educational approaches and practices to advance equity and inclusion within a complex, multi-faceted institutional context.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and team-building skills.
• Familiarity with accessibility-related pedagogies and presentation tools.
• Strong knowledge of universal design for learning strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain utmost confidentiality.
• Ability to build rapport with the campus community with particular attention to the needs of McMaster community members with disabilities.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to provide grounded and appropriate support, advice and referral to persons with disabilities who disclose experiences of discrimination (including failure to be reasonably accommodated) and other forms of inequity and exclusion.
• Ability to work independently and as a collaborative team member.
• Proficiency in MS Office software applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, database and presentation software applications, as well as internet research.