Here are fantastic resources to learn more about digital accessibility careers. Thanks to Louise Clark for putting this together.
Disability Rights Laws
Guide to Disability Rights Laws
This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities.
Accessibility Laws and Regulations
Lainey Feingold is a disability rights lawyer and author who maintains a blog on issues around digital accessibility and the law.
This free online training covers basic information about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), details about its standards, and its benefits.
How does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) relate to digital accessibility?
A brief article answering the question.
Understanding and Applying the ADA Amendments Act and Its Regulations
Gives an overview of the changes made to the definition of disability, a summary of the guidance provided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s regulations, and practical ideas for applying the new definition in the workplace.
Accessibility Guidelines
What is WCAG 2.1: A History of WCAG
Welcome, WCAG 2.1! The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines get an update.
Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
A job site for people with disabilities. The site offers an accessible virtual career fair.
AFB Blind Leaders Development Program
Every year, AFB selects a cohort of blind or visually impaired individuals for this 12-month program: 50% emerging leaders as Fellows and 50% established leaders to act as their Mentors.
Become an Accessibility Tester with Fable
People with disabilities can apply to become a tester to find and share accessibility issues.
BIT has several programs for training blind people for careers.
Disclosing a Disability in the Workplace
Information and ideas to help individuals make educated decisions about disclosure.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
VMware’s Neurodiversity Inclusion program is tailored towards individuals with autism.
Training
Courses help learners build new technical and non-technical skills to work in the tech sector. Work at your own pace with free, accessible, and on-demand courses.
Digital Accessibility Education, Training, and Certification
This course list provides information about courses, training, and certification on digital accessibility from different providers. You can filter submissions to find those matching your specific interests and needs.
Deque offers a variety of online digital accessibility courses. If you have a disability, you qualify for a Deque University Scholarship to access the company’s web accessibility curriculum for a full year at no cost.
A self-paced workshop designed to teach you the principles and effective patterns of accessibility, from design to deployment.
This course was designed to make you an accessibility leader to ensure you feel confident as an advocate within your organization.
W3C Accessibility Fundamental Overview
Lists courses for getting started with accessibility and other resources.
Podcasts
The host has met a lot of interesting people involved with web accessibility and wanted to learn more about them. The A11y Rules Podcast is the result.
A show where the hosts talk with disability leaders about career, life, and technology.
The Disability Visibility Podcast
Conversations on disability politics, culture, and media.
Included: The Disability Equity Podcast
The podcast delves deep into issues of disability equity.
Newsletters
Microassist’s Accessibility in the News
UMD Web Design References lists many articles on digital accessibility.
Resources for Careers and Roles
Multiple Roles
Teach Access Accessibility Skills Hiring Toolkit
This toolkit help organizations build internal capacity for producing accessible digital products. It provides position description language and interview questions for a variety of accessibility-related roles.
University of SC Digital Accessibility Roles and Responsibilities
Everyone who creates, edits, manages, or purchases digital properties or content for the university that may end up in a digital context has the responsibility for ensuring their work complies with digital accessibility guidelines.
Volunteering
Digital A11ies is a grassroots accessibility organization paving the way toward a truly accessible web. We strive to address critical gaps in accessibility through research, education, and advocacy.
Knowbility is a nonprofit organization with the mission of creating an inclusive digital world for people with disabilities. They have a variety of volunteering opportunities.
Minneapolis Institute of Art – Content Writers
Can you write simple descriptions of what you see? If so, please join this important effort.
Volunteers provide audio descriptions of YouTube videos.
UX Researchers
Ethical considerations when doing UX research with people who have disabilities with Sheri Byrne-Haber
User Research with People with Disabilities by Sheri Byrne-Haber
Usability testing with people with disability with Andrew Arch and Sarah Pulis.
The Call for Trauma-Informed Design and Research Practice by Rachael Dietkus
Becoming a trauma‐informed designer is crucial to finding solutions that respond to the many complex problems we face as a society.
Trauma-Informed UX Design: How Trauma-Informed Care and Digital Accessibility Unite by Madison Dunaetz
What is trauma-informed design? By Melissa Eggleston
Designers
ARRM Visual Designer Responsibilities Mapping
ARRM UX Designer Responsibilities Mapping
BBC Designing for Accessibility Posters
Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion by Steven Lambert
A closer look at the different lenses of accessibility through which you can refine your designs.
A Designer’s Guide to Documenting Accessibility & User Interactions
The difference between keyboard and screen reader navigation by Léonie Watson
Engaging in disability as a creative practice by Liz Jackson
Discusses the impact of engaging in disability, not as a problem to be solved, but rather as a discipline and a creative practice. This presentation teaches designers how to design WITH, rather than for disability.
Teach Access UX / Visual Designer
Teach Access UX / Interaction Designer
Content
These are the official guidelines for the Plain Writing Act of 2010.
Talk: Moving Beyond Empathy: A11y In Documentation by Alexandra White
Often, writers leave it to engineers to build accessible products but don’t take into consideration how to make their documentation accessible, too. This talk focuses on how writers can make change in their work.
Developers
ARRM Frontend Developer Responsibilities Mapping
A Complete Guide To Accessible Front-End Components by Smashing Magazine
Setting up a screen reader testing environment on your computer by Sara Souedain
Untangling The Complex World Of Accessible Patterns by Carie Fisher
Yes, accessibility is also a backend concern by Eric Bailey
QA Testers
Teach Access Quality Assurance Tester
A Trusted Tester is an individual who has achieved at least 90% on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification Exam. To become a Trusted Tester an individual must complete the DHS Trusted Tester online training course requirements and pass the DHS Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification Exam.