Accessibility Specialist

The Agency You’ll Join: The New York City Mayor’s Office is responsible for overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs, coordinating public agencies and departments, and managing public property. The administration is leading the fight in making the city more affordable, reducing inequality, improving public safety, ensuring delivery of efficient and effective services, and working to make New York City’s economy stronger. We value leadership, transparency, fairness, and efficiency as we actively seek diverse talents from various sectors to join our team. For current job opportunities, visit our careers page.

The Team You’ll Work With: For half a century, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) has been the liaison between the New York City government and the disability community. In partnership with City offices and agencies, MOPD ensures City initiatives, programs, and policies address the needs and interests of people with disabilities. The office regularly engages in advocacy and policymaking at the local, state, national, and international levels to make certain accessibility and full inclusion are key priorities for all public and private stakeholders alike.

The Problems You’ll Solve: The Accessibility Specialist will assist MOPD’s Senior Director of Physical Accessibility by serving as the primary point of contact for field visits, site visits, inspections, and documentation related to accessibility in the built environment.

MOPD works with City agencies, property owners, design professionals, and community stakeholders to support accessibility and inclusive design throughout New York City’s built environment. This includes providing technical guidance, reviewing accessibility concerns, coordinating site assessments, and helping develop practical recommendations for buildings, public spaces, facilities, and events.

Job duties will include:

• Serve as MOPD’s primary point of contact for physical accessibility site visits, field visits, inspections, and related follow-up assignments.
• Coordinate, schedule, and attend field visits involving City agency facilities, public buildings, community spaces, public events, constituent concerns, interagency accessibility matters, Dining Out NYC locations, and other physical accessibility issues as assigned.
• Conduct field documentation of physical accessibility conditions, including photographs, measurements, notes, sketches, and other records needed to describe existing site conditions clearly.
• Prepare timely written site visit reports and follow-up materials that organize photographs, measurements, field notes, observed accessibility concerns, and recommended next steps for supervisory review.
• Support fast-turnaround accessibility assessments for events, programs, and site conditions where recommendations may be needed within the same week or day as the site visit.
• Track multiple active field assignments, including logging requests, maintaining site visit records, monitoring report status, coordinating follow-up, and documenting final disposition or close-out.
• Assist with developing and maintaining standard site visit procedures, inspection checklists, photo documentation protocols, field report templates, and internal tracking tools.
• Assist with developing standard response templates for common physical accessibility inquiries and referrals to the appropriate City, State, or federal agency.
• Apply basic knowledge of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, NYC Building Code, and related accessibility concepts to help identify applicable requirements for accessible features observed during field visits, with final technical determinations subject to supervisory review.
• Participate in interagency meetings, walkthroughs, task force discussions, and community or constituent site visits as directed by MOPD leadership.
• Under supervision, assist with other physical accessibility projects as identified by MOPD leadership.

About You:

• You are an organized, practical professional with a degree or experience in architecture, construction, engineering technology, building inspection, accessibility, project management, or a related built-environment field.
• You can document existing conditions, manage multiple assignments, communicate clearly with City agencies and the public, and turn field observations into clear reports and practical next steps.
• You understand basic architectural and construction concepts, including field surveys, existing conditions, measurements, photographs, drawings, and written documentation.
• You also have a demonstrated interest in accessibility, universal design, inclusive design, public service, and/or improving access to buildings, public spaces, events, and services for people with disabilities.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
• High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Additional Information

• In addition to the resume, a cover letter is required to apply.

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
• High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, architectural technology, construction management, engineering technology, urban planning, building inspection, accessibility, public administration with built-environment experience, or a related field.
• Relevant professional, internship, academic studio, field survey, construction, inspection, accessibility, project coordination, or public-sector experience involving buildings, facilities, site documentation, existing conditions, or field-based assessment.
• Experience reading or working with basic architectural drawings, plans, dimensions, photographs, field notes, measurements, construction terminology, or existing-condition documentation.
• Familiarity with architectural field survey methods, including documenting existing conditions through measurements, photographs, sketches, notes, and organized follow-up reports.
• Familiarity with physical accessibility concepts, including accessible routes, entrances, ramps, elevators, platform lifts, door clearances, toilet rooms, slopes, level changes, seating areas, and pedestrian circulation.
• Ability to apply basic code concepts to field observations, organize relevant accessibility requirements, and elevate technical questions for supervisory review.
• Experience using or researching the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, 2022 NYC Building Code, ICC A117.1, or related physical accessibility standards and guidance is preferred.
• Strong organizational skills, including ability to manage multiple assignments, maintain logs, track follow-up items, organize records, and meet deadlines.
• Strong writing and communication skills, including ability to prepare clear site visit reports, field notes, inspection summaries, and internal tracking updates.
• Knowledge of New York City government, public-sector operations, interagency coordination, constituent services, or community-facing work is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, shared tracking documents, PDF review tools, digital photographs, and basic digital file organization.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of the interview.