The Accessibility Project Assistant will assist with the following duties:
Project Support & Coordination:
Content Support & Research:
Conduct project background research using campus resources, publicly available guidance, academic literature, legislation, standards, and relevant institutional practices
Analyse and synthesize information into accurate, plain-language materials and briefs for students, instructors, staff, committees, and the broader Western community
Draft, review, and edit project resources, including guides, plans, checklists, templates, presentations, communications, and other materials
Review materials through student-centred, accessibility-informed, and equity-informed lenses, identifying barriers, gaps, unclear language, and opportunities for improvement
Resource Development, Maintenance and Quality Assurance:
Develop accessible documents, slide decks, infographics, templates, and other project materials
Maintain organized shared files and project records in SharePoint, Teams, and other approved platforms, following established naming, formatting, and version-control conventions
Prepare materials for consultation and review by committees, working groups, students, staff, faculty, and other project partners
Complete proofreading and quality-assurance reviews to confirm that materials are accurate, complete, consistent, accessible, and ready for distribution or publication
Equity-Informed Perspective:
Apply a student-centred, accessibility-informed, and equity-informed perspective across project planning, research, resource development, and review
Identify where materials or proposed approaches may not reflect diverse access needs, identities, and student experiences, and recommend opportunities for improvement
Education
- Currently enrolled in, or recently completed, a Bachelor’s degree (or higher)
- Preference may be given to students in programs related to education, accessibility, disability studies, social sciences, communications, or related fields, though all disciplines are welcome
Experience
At least one year of experience in project coordination, research, administrative support, communications, resource development, or a related area is preferred
Experience independently managing assigned work, meeting deadlines, and producing complete, professional deliverables is an asset
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook/Outlook Calendar, and Teams, with the ability to produce professional documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and project-tracking materials
Strong research, analysis, and synthesis skills, including the ability to identify credible information and produce clear, accurate, and useful summaries
Strong project-coordination skills, including documenting decisions and action items, maintaining trackers and project records, monitoring deadlines, and supporting multiple concurrent initiatives
Ability to review policies, resources, communications, plans, and other project materials through student-centred and accessibility-informed lenses and identify barriers, gaps, inconsistencies, or areas for improvement
Strong organizational and document-management skills, including maintaining accurate records, applying consistent formatting, and following file-naming and version-control conventions
Ability to translate project direction into concrete tasks, exercise sound judgment, and independently produce complete, high-quality deliverables
Demonstrated accountability and follow-through, including providing progress updates, seeking clarification when required, identifying barriers, and communicating potential delays before deadlines are affected
Ability to manage competing priorities, respond to changing project needs, receive and apply feedback, and collaborate effectively with internal and external partners
Demonstrated professionalism, integrity, discretion, and compliance with Western’s policies, procedures, and confidentiality requirements
Assets:
Familiarity with accessibility legislation, standards, and frameworks, such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, universal design, and Universal Design for Learning, as well as accessible document and digital-content practices.
Experience supporting projects, committees, research activities, consultations, or other institutional initiatives.
Experience developing accessible educational resources, toolkits, training materials, web content, communications, or visual materials using content-development tools such as Canva.
Experience collecting, organizing, and synthesizing qualitative or quantitative information, including using consultation or survey tools such as Microsoft Forms or Qualtrics.
