Disability and Accessibility Advisor

Arden University Ltd; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative education provider in the UK is seeking a Disability & Accessibility Advisor to support disabled students during their academic journey. This vital role involves providing individualized assistance, ensuring inclusivity, and collaborating with faculty to enhance educational accessibility. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in disability support and a passion for empowering students to succeed. A competitive salary and excellent benefits, including a generous holiday package and professional development opportunities, are offered.

Benefits

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Generous pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Free access to Arden courses

‘Golden Ticket’ for free education for others

Qualifications

• Experience in a Higher Education setting.
• Strong background in providing specialist advice and guidance to disabled individuals.
• Sound understanding of disability legislation and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one support for disabled students.
• Run drop-in sessions for student support.
• Assist with Disabled Students' Allowances.

Skills

Disability advice

Interpersonal skills

IT proficiency

Training delivery

Education

Experience in disability advisory roles

Job description

Salary: £30,000 - £35,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Team Leader

Department: Student Experience

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here.

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department

This role sits within the broader Student Experience department, dedicated to ensuring an excellent student journey throughout the student lifecycle at Arden, from application and admission through to graduation.

This role sits within Wellbeing Services, a key area of the Student Experience department. Wellbeing Services includes Disability and Accessibility and Mental Health and Wellbeing support for Arden Students.

About the Opportunity

Passionate about supporting disabled students? Join our growing Wellbeing team as a Disability & Accessibility Advisor! You'll provide one-to-one support, manage student caseloads, assist with Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA), and ensure inclusive learning environments.

This role involves running drop-in sessions, collaborating on support plans & adjustments, and working with academics to embed accessibility across our campuses. You'll also help shape wellbeing initiatives, deliver training, and enhance the student experience.

About You

We are looking for a dedicated Disability & Accessibility Adviser to join our team and provide specialist support to students with disabilities. This role is crucial in ensuring an inclusive and accessible learning environment, offering tailored guidance, assessments, and practical support. The ideal candidate will have experience in disability advisory roles, strong interpersonal skills, and a passion for student success.

Experience

• Experience in a Higher Education setting.
• Strong background in providing specialist advice and guidance to disabled individuals in a front-facing role.
• Experience conducting needs assessments, developing support plans, and identifying reasonable adjustments.
• Sound understanding of disability legislation and best practices in Higher Education, including the Equality Act (2010) and GDPR.
• Evidence of training and continuous professional development in disability support.

Skills & Attributes

• High-level expertise in disability advice, guidance, and reasonable adjustments in Higher Education.
• Confident in delivering training sessions to staff and students to promote awareness and reduce stigma around disability.
• IT proficiency, including maintaining detailed and professional records of student interactions and outcomes.

Knowledge

• Familiarity with the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) application process.
• In-depth knowledge of the Equality Act (2010) and GDPR in relation to disability support in Higher Education.

Why Arden

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education.

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.

Closing Date: Wednesday 7 January

Interviews: w/c 12 January (MS Teams)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.