Director of Disability Support Services

Reports To:Associate Provost

The Director of Disability Support Services (DSS) provides strategic vision leadership and administrative oversight for all programs services and accommodations supporting students with disabilities. The Director ensures institutional compliance with federal and state mandates including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended.

As the primary champion for campus accessibility the Director leads a dedicated team manages the department budget sets divisional goals and collaborates across academic and student life sectors to foster an inclusive equitable and universally designed campus environment. The Director serves as the final institutional authority on complex accommodation determinations and represents the college on key committees.

• Strategic Direction:Provide visionary leadership to set implement and evaluate the departments short- and long-term goals aligning them with the institutions retention and diversity missions.

• Compliance & Policy Authority:Serve as the primary institutional expert on legal mandates (ADA Section 504/508); develop review and enforce university-wide operational procedures documentation guidelines and legal compliance workflows.

• Personnel Management:Supervise mentor and evaluate professional staff including the Assistant Director. Oversee the recruitment and training of student workers and peer leaders.

• Fiscal Oversight:Develop and manage the annual DSS departmental budget allocating resources efficiently for assistive technologies alternative formats and testing services.

• Assessment & Reporting:Oversee comprehensive data collection and student records management; analyze term-by-term engagement and retention metrics to draft institutional reports for executive leadership.

• Academic Liaison:Partner with Academic Deans Department Chairs and faculty to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into curricula and resolve complex instructional or program modification concerns.

• Campus Operations Alliance:Consult with Human Resources Facilities Dining Services and Residential Life to ensure physical digital and structural campus environments are fully accessible.

• Committee Leadership:Represent DSS interests on campus committees related to student retention risk management diversity/inclusion and emergency response.

• Community Education:Design and deliver campus-wide professional development training workshops and educational materials regarding neurodiversity accessibility and disability rights for faculty and staff.

• High-Level Case Management:Oversee the student intake workflow; directly manage a select complex portfolio of student cases or step in to resolve high-priority or emergent student family or faculty crises.

• Appeals & Grievances:Review and issue final determinations on contested accommodation requests or student grievances regarding service delivery.

• Enrollment Partnership:Collaborate with Admissions to lead outreach efforts for prospective families presenting at major recruitment and orientation events (e.g. Open Houses Admitted Student Days).

• Education:Masters degree in Higher Education Administration Special Education Rehabilitation Counseling Social Work Counseling Psychology or a closely related field.

• Experience:Minimum of 5 years of progressive professional experience in disability services vocational rehabilitation or educational advocacy with a clear focus on higher education settings.

• Supervision:Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience directly supervising professional full-time staff.

• Expertise:Comprehensive nuance-level knowledge of legal frameworks governing higher education accessibility (ADA Section 504) adaptive technologies and standard clinical documentation evaluation.

• Commitment:A proven track record of advancing diversity equity and inclusion with demonstrated success supporting students from diverse intersecting backgrounds.

• Education:Doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) in Higher Education Leadership Special Education Counseling or a related discipline.

• Experience:5 years of administrative leadership in a higher education DSS office including full budget ownership and systemic policy development.

• Skills:Active engagement with national professional organizations (e.g. AHEAD) and advanced knowledge of digital/web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1).

To apply please submit the following materials:

1. Letter of Interest:A comprehensive cover letter outlining your leadership philosophy administrative experience and qualifications as they relate to the responsibilities described above.

2. Resume/CV:An up-to-date professional curriculum vitae or resume detailing relevant employment history.

3. References:Names titles and contact information for three confidential professional references (including at least one supervisor and one direct report if applicable).

Summary Pay Range: Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors job level market location job-related knowledge skills individual performance and experience. Please note that pay is only one component of total compensation.

Benefits:

Health Insurance

Dental

Vision

FSA/ HSA/ FSA Dependent Care

Employer Paid Basic Life & LTD

Voluntary Life

Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Employee Assistance Program

Parental Leave

In keeping with its commitment to equal rights since it was founded in 1837 Knox College particularly welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups. Knox College does not discriminate on the basis of sex pregnancy gender identity or expression race color creed national or ethnic origin religion or religious affiliation sexual orientation or preference age marital or family status disability veteran status or other status protected by applicable federal state or local law in admission financial aid employment athletics or any other aspect of its educational programs or addition Knox College is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its accompanying regulations from discriminating on the basis of sex.

The College official responsible for coordinating compliance with this Notice of Non-Discrimination is the Director of Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance. Any inquiries regarding policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment including Title IX sexual harassment as well as the policy prohibiting hazing should be directed to the Director of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance identified below. Staff in the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance are available to meet with or talk to students staff and faculty regarding issues relating to this Notice of Non-Discrimination and the Colleges policies and procedures.

Director of Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance
Old Jail 12 Campus Box K-209
337 South Cherry Street
Galesburg IL 61401
Phone:
Email:

Inquiries about the application of Title IX to Knox may be referred to the Director of Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance the United States Department of Educations Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights or both. Individuals may also contact the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights for additional information.

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education-Chicago Office
500 W Madison St. Suite 1475
Chicago IL 60661-4544
Phone:
Email:

Inquiries regarding the Colleges policies regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) should be directed to the ADA/504 Coordinator identified below:

Knox College ADA/504 Coordinator
Jennie Hemingway PhD
Old Jail 12 Campus Box K-209
337 South Cherry Street
Galesburg IL 61401
Phone:
Email:

Employees requesting accommodations may contact:

Human Resources
52 W South St. Alumni Hall Suite 100 Campus Box K-200
Galesburg IL 61401
Phone: or
Email:

Students requesting accommodations may contact:

Director of Disability Support Services
Patricia Harden
Umbeck Science and Math Center E111 Campus Box K183
340 South West Street
Phone:
Email:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in certain aspects of the candidate review process for this position; however all employment decisions will be made by a human.