Accessible Educator Advisor (Volunteer)

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Location: Remote with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Type: Volunteer (Disability Justice Team)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a NYC-based nonprofit serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, and creative expression. Accessibility is not an afterthought at MAP — it is a priority in making sure all children and youth are able to access vital resources.

MAP’s visual identity, educational materials, books, media, and spaces all rely on accessibility through their design.

Role Overview

The Accessible Educator Advisor will familiarize themselves with the ADA, section 504, the Fair Housing Act, IEPs, school accommodations, and overall disability rights. They will make themselves aware of issues surrounding housing instability while working to advise academic institutions that Mentor A Promise liaises with. They will work to assist in making sure the Mentor A Promise educational resources are as accessible as possible and liaise directly with various team leads in creating educational resources from books to programming. They will work with these team leads to assist in implementation of any IEPs and accommodations, while also upholding universal design principles.

Their main role will be to advise our members and schools we affiliate with with strategies to make accessible classrooms. They will work to assist a team at a time in creating accessible materials, and simultaneously liaise with one school at a time as needed. They will liaise with the team lead of the Disability Justice Team, providing updates and progress made in each department. They will also work closely with the IEP and Accommodation Consultant to see common accommodations in school, and how these can be naturally implemented into MAP programs.They will also make note of things across departments that need to be improved for accessibility. Check-ins on progress will take place during weekly meetings with the whole disability justice team.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise academic institutions and educational resources at Mentor A Promise on how they can alter their programming to maximize accessible
• Assist with the implementation of IEPs and accommodations
• Advise members of Mentor a Promise and the Classroom with strategies to be as inclusive as possible
• Create, find, and disseminate tools that can be used by children and educators to make everyone’s experience more accessible
• Use Universal Design Principals

Qualifications

• Strong commitment to accessibility and disability justice
• Previous work with children and or academic institutions
• Reliability, creativity, and comfort working in a collaborative nonprofit environment
• Alignment with MAP’s mission and commitment to dignity-centered work

Preferred Skills

• Experience advocating for disabled individuals, or lived experience as a disabled person
• Familiarity with ADA, section 504, IEPs, and accommodations
• Familiarity with Universal Design
• Previous work in a school setting
• Work liaising with families
• Awareness of accessibility tools for classrooms
• Trauma-Informed Care Skills
• Experience working with variety of different teams ie. legal teams, writing teams, training teams, etc.

Commitment

• Volunteer role
• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Meeting once a week with Disability Justice and Accessibility Team
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Fully remote with optional NYC-based collaboration

What You’ll Gain

• A meaningful role in disability justice with real-world social impact
• Opportunities to see programming in Mentor A Promise and beyond become more accessible to all parties
• Collaboration with advocates in disability justice
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The chance to help children feel seen, safe, and comfortable through accommodations

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist.

Build with purpose — help MAP create accessible, dignified, justice-centered environments where every young person has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.