Internship Program
Office of Accessibility: The Office of Accessibility strives to provide students with disabilities equal access opportunities to their educational experiences at The University of Akron. We are also committed to assisting in the development of new professionals in the areas of disability service provision and administration, disability studies, and the broad area of Student Affairs in higher education. We have an internship program offering supervised learning experiences in a post-secondary setting that provides accommodations and services to students with disabilities.
The Position: The Intern reports to the Director of the Office of Accessibility. The office includes 1 full-time director, 1 full-time associate director, 3 full-time professional staff, 1 full-time support staff, and student assistants.
An internship at the Office of Accessibility is expected to be requested from a student with relevant previous experience or after completion of the majority of a student’s master’s level course work or at the appropriate stage in a doctoral program. Students participating in this internship must be on-site for a minimum of 10 hours a week per semester, preferably for a full academic year. Please note, this is an unpaid internship. The experiences received will be varied and intense, providing the student with skills necessary to begin work as an advocate for students with disabilities as they pursue their goals in post-secondary educational settings.
Responsibilities: Each student involved in an internship at the Office of Accessibility will be expected to provide evidence of success in each of the following areas. The list below includes each expectation to be measured during the internship experience.
- Assist with documentation of departmental CAS Standards Review
- Provide advocacy and outreach services for students with disabilities in a campus setting.
- Collaborate and maintain positive communication with other professionals.
- Identify legal issues facing adults with disabilities.
- Implement various instructional and program designs for adults with disabilities in a university setting.
- Identify and adhere to appropriate professional standards.
Qualifications: The Intern for the Office of Accessibility must be a well-organized, high-energy person with:
- A bachelor’s degree and pursuing a master’s degree in Education, Higher Education or related field is required.
- Sensitive to and have an understanding of the diverse academic, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds of University personnel and students while establishing, maintaining and fostering a positive working relationship with relative constituents.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated leadership ability.
- Computer literacy.
Benefits: The Intern for the Office of Accessibility will benefit from the following:
- Diverse experiences with students who have disabilities
- Experience in the administration of a Student Affairs professional office
- Professional supervision and mentoring
To apply for the position, please download and send us the following application: Internship Application