Specialist, Access and Accommodation

Specialist, Access and Accommodation

University of Calgary

The Student Accessibility Services Team within Student Experience and Support (SES) at the University of Calgary is seeking a full‑time regular Specialist, Access and Accommodation. Reporting to the Director of Student Accessibility Services, the specialist leads a team of access advisors, ensures adaptive academic accommodation practices, and maintains a personal caseload of approximately 150‑200 students with complex needs.

• Model the interactive accommodation process and determine the appropriateness of self‑reported barriers vs documented evidence.
• Implement reasonable accommodations that address student barriers while preserving course integrity.
• Collaborate with faculty and instructional staff to resolve accommodation conflicts.
• Maintain accurate records of functional limitations and rationales for accommodations.
• Respond to escalated student concerns and support caseload management.
• Assess student barriers for protected ground relevance and coordinate with legal services as needed.
• Supervise a team of 7–8 FTE staff: recruit, onboard, schedule, evaluate performance, and manage staff development.
• Ensure staff meet service expectations for record submission, quality, and staff‑development coaching.
• Develop and maintain a SharePoint site for access advising and update key documentation such as meeting summaries and data‑collection notices.
• Align the access advising process with the student accommodation policy and procedures.
• Support grant reporting, data analysis, and ongoing evaluation of SAS services.
• Present on accessibility and accommodation issues to campus stakeholders and participate in community committees.

• Master’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Higher Education, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years progressive experience in disability advising, academic accommodations, or human rights compliance.
• At least 5 years working with equity‑deserving grounds, preferably in post‑secondary settings.
• In‑depth knowledge of legal duty‑to‑accommodate issues in education.
• Minimum 3 years supervisory or team‑lead experience, preferably post‑secondary.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations and represent the University in a professional manner.
• Strong judgment in prioritizing duties, managing concurrent tasks, and adapting to unexpected events.
• Effective stress‑management skills suitable for a high‑volume environment.
• Experience managing conflict, criticism, and contentious issues.
• Expertise in POPA and handling highly sensitive material.

January 14, 2025

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have historically been encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here.

In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments () and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture ().

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply; however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.