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SKILLS YOU NEED TO WORK IN ACCESSIBILITY

Deeper dive into real skills required to work in the field

Elianna James, President ‘I Break Websites LLC’Presented at AHG conference, November, 2016

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A YEAR OF JOB ALERTS• Sources: Indeed.com and simplyhired.com• Set up multiple alerts using Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com• Shifted from “accessibility” as a keyword to “WCAG” because

’accessibility’ is too broad a term in English. • The word brings in results that “if our website is not accessible please call

xxx”• “Access” to San Diego’s lovely beaches• “Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Access databases…”

• Analyzed results from January 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016• @1800 unique jobs in this time period

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WHY TRACK JOBS IN A11Y?1. Started with hypothesis that increased legal actions would result in

increased hiring as part of mitigation strategies.2. Looking for common threads in job listings of keywords, skills needed to

compete successfully for those jobs.3. See if job postings would remain elevated.4. Determine if job postings reflected actual skills needed to do a good job.5. Track jobs that were non-technical in nature, but required understanding

of A11y principles

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WHAT KINDS OF JOBS AND WHERE?

• Solid half are developers or software testers• Front End Developer, NY City (staff developer)• Full Stack .Net Developer, Minneapolis, MN (contract)• Lead Front End Architect, Austin, TX• Section 508 Compliance Tester/ Analyst, Washington, DC (contractor needing

secret security clearance)• Senior Quality Assurance Analyst, Urbana-Champaign, IL (U of Illinois)

• Competitive candidates are heavily experienced with technical skills. • Now WCAG 2.0, JAWS, NVDA, WAI ARIA are expected. • Proven track record of building/ testing websites or apps that comply with

ADA and other a11y regulations/ guidelines

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NON-TECHNICAL JOBS• A LOT of UX and UI designers are expected to know about, champion and

explain accessibility to multiple stakeholders• UX/UI Designer, Tampa, FL (Willis Towers Watson)

• Wireframing, user research, strong knowledge of Photoshop, familiarity with WCAG and ADA

• UX Design Lead, Omaha, NE (D3 Banking)• Mockups based on heavy analysis with stakeholder teams, user research, ensure

that all designs adhere to WCAG and ADA• Accessibility Consultant, Phoenix, AZ

• Extensive knowledge of WCAG 2.0, accessibility audit, QA tools and processes, JAWS/ NVDA, HTML/CSS, Javascript and web content management systems

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WHO, WHAT, WHEN?• Who? • Technical jobs - Developers and QA (test) skills account for roughly ½ of

the job opportunities posted on indeed and simply hired• Variety of “non technical” jobs make up the other half• What?• Usual job skills for the position ++ WCAG, Section 508, ADA• How can we demonstrate competence?• When?• Start now and keep learning

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WHERE, WHY AND HOW? STUDENTS

• Where?• Begin where you are: easiest and you have the most contacts

• Student - look for on campus opportunities• Office of Disability Services

• Note takers• Learn about how to use Assistive Technology including in devices you have already (like

your iPhone!)• Computer classes - take any that teach Universal Design

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WHERE, WHY AND HOW? FACULTY

• Faculty -• Jobs have posted in past year in 32 states and the District of Columbia

• More and more faculty positions have a passing reference to accessibility as universities discover they are liable for providing accessible education

• Be prepared for what alternative format means• Learn how to create accessible documents• WKU sum up on creating online course material accessible (visual, hearing, learni

ng disabilities, color blindness, neurological disorders• Shout out to Amy Netzel, formerly of Wake Tech in NC for making great, short vide

os on accessible Multimedia and other topics• AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability = webinars: Last year’s m

ost relevant might be ‘What’s AT? I’m not a tech Geek - Help!’

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WHERE, WHY AND HOW?MANAGEMENT & STAFF

• Recent Examples: • Ohio State University, Sr. Dir, Web Development & Ops, $100k

• Technical job where successful applicant absolutely needs deep WCAG knowledge as they lead this university to compliance

• University of Cincinnati, Instructional Technologist - Accessibility Specialist• eLearning, works across university to ensure all course content is fully

accessible• (average salary for this job title in US = $51K without accessibility, $55K or more

with those skills)• University of Rhode Island, Digital Content Strategist, $55 - $69K

• Creating university website content (content leadership including: branding, design workflows, “focus on usability and accessibility”)

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MORE JOBS• California State University, IT Program Coordinator, $3800 - $4700 month

• Focus is on supporting the campus-wide Accessibility Technology Initiative. Implementation of the process and program designed to make sure that all tech is accessible, that complaints are dealt with speedily. Procurement major piece.

• Community College of Denver, Competency Based Education (CBE), Instructional Designer 0.75 FTE, $3235 month• Work with faculty and admin to develop, design, implement credit-based,

competency based programs. Must meet WCAG Level 2 AA

DO LEGAL ACTIONS TRIGGER HIRING?

Yes, directly and indirectly.All settlements to date have included mitigation of offending

websites and materials AND… the mandate to put in place ongoing processes to ensure accessibility is built in to future website development and curriculum materials. This means tasking existing personnel to pick up this workOR.. It means hiring new, qualified people.

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Credit for chart to Seyfarth Shaw LLPFrom Jan 2015 - Oct 2016

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UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

Facts:

Lawsuit brought against University of Phoenix December, 2014

Settlement, June 2015 w/ DOE and OCR VP of Accessibility & Diversity Strategy, October, 2016

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MIAMI UNIVERSITY - OHIO• Facts:

• lawsuit brought against Miami University, (Ohio), January, 2014

• Settlement, October, 2016 w/ DOJ

• • Associate Director

Student Disability Services, October, 2016

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A11Y SPECIALIST - WCAG

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WRAPPING IT UP• What skills do you need to make a career related to accessibility?

• Technical very desired - software - Assistive Technology• Semantically correct, clean HTML/ CSS/ JavaScript • Understanding of accessibility APIs• Knowledge of how Assistive Technology consumes and conveys information

• PDFs, Video, Word documents• Create natively accessible media

• Ability to tell stories - evangelizing - creating safe space• You will be the person everyone in your sphere looks to when it comes to any

question about accessibility• Learn and share, repeat the process. Bring in everyone (inclusion)

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QUESTIONS?

• Do you really want to be a pioneer?

• How much training will this take?

• What kind of money can you earn?

• What is your burning question?

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LATEST ON TRENDS - LAWS AND HIGHER ED

• https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/11/07/disability-rights-advocates-shift-strategies-ensure-equal-rights-digital-age

• “Thirteen higher education organizations -- including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, Educause, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities -- last month came together to comment on the proposed rules. “

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THANK YOU!• elianna james• President, ‘I Break Websites LLC’• eliannaj@yahoo.com• http://ibreakwebsites.com• https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliannaj• 720-425-1001

• Keep the conversation going!