You do not have to remove the steering shaft. You have to remove the cover off the bottom of the column. You may have to remove the support under the column.
Biggest issue is removing the ignition lock plate. There was a tool for it back in the day.
The new switch comes with the wiring and connector attached. After removing the lock plate, remove the lock cylinder. The cylinder should be in lock position, look for a small slot on the interior end of the cylinder housing and push a small screwdriver in there and pull the lock cylinder out. Three screws hold the switch in place. Feeding the wires down the tube is not easy but doable with the column in place.
Craig