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Digital accessibility skills

Submitted by adrayer on

The ADA Title II's Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability requires that web content is accessible. Digital accessibility skills will help you prepare and make necessary changes.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) developed this content for use by the LAA community.

Step 1: take the foundation course

All library employees, regardless of their job roles, need basic understanding of accessibility.

To this end, the BTAA shared the online Canvas course “Cultivating Belonging: Library Accessibility Essentials”. It includes:

  • Introduction to disability and accessibility
  • Accessibility and accommodation
  • Implicit biases and disability
  • Practical strategies for effective communication and interaction
  • Core skills in digital accessibility
  • Applying core skills for accessible digital documents

Take the course Cultivating Belonging: Library Accessibility Essentials

Step 2: select your roles or desired skills

After completing the content in Step 1, you can learn how accessibility applies to your work. The roles-based breakdown is set up to help identify basic skills you may need for that specific work. We have sorted skills this way because we often take on several job roles in libraries.

Each role includes:

  • an introduction to accessibility in that space,
  • some core skills with curated resources to learn those skills, and
  • generally useful reference resources.

We encourage you to explore and be curious.

Digital Accessibility Skills Roles:

Authoring and publishing

This is for authors and those who support authors and publishing activities.

  • Advanced document accessibility
  • Content accessibility
  • Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and PDF
  • EPUBs
  • Retain accessibility through different formats
  • Readability and plain language
  • Scientific and musical writing
Digitized and born-digital materials

For folks who work in preservation and conservation of archival and cultural materials, or in resource sharing such as interlibrary loan.

  • Accessibility metadata
  • Disability language and terminology
  • Remediation practices
Hiring

For hiring managers and individuals who sit on hiring search committees.

  • Inclusive job descriptions
  • Accessible job announcements and application process
  • Implicit bias in the search and selection process
  • Accessible meetings
  • Inclusive interviewing
  • Accessible recruiting
Marketing and Communications

For people who work in outreach, development, and promotions.

  • Accessible social media content
  • Cognitive and mental health accessibility
  • Readability and plain language
Managers and supervisors

For people who manage others.

  • Proactive inclusive thinking and action
  • Communicating and supporting accessibility work
  • Centering disabled community members
  • Inclusive onboarding
  • Job accommodations
  • Strategizing accessibility
  • Navigating challenging conversations
  • Shattering the productivity myth
Purchasing and licensing

For anyone who makes purchase of hardware, software, content, and services from vendors.

  • Negotiating contracts
  • Understanding VPATs and ACRs
  • Digital accessibility auditing
Space and event coordination

For people who help coordinate spaces and events.

  • Media accessibility
  • Accessible event planning
  • Space design and planning
  • XR accessibility
Teaching and instruction

For folks supporting and providing instruction.

  • Media accessibility
  • Presenting and slide accessibility
  • Charts and infographic accessibility
  • Equation and formula accessibility
  • Universal design for learning (UDL) and CAST
  • Online teaching and design
Vendor interface and systems management

For people who manage the styles and look of a vendor tool.

  • Understanding Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
  • Using HTML, CSS, and WAI-ARIA properly
  • Accessibility auditing
  • Mobile and web application accessibility
  • Technical writing for reporting issues
Web content and guides

For authors and editors of content on websites including guides.

  • Media accessibility
  • Online writing and readability
  • Using content interfaces properly
Web development

For people who either write, edit, or maintain code, or provide code feedback.

  • Understanding Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
  • Using HTML, CSS, and WAI-ARIA properly
  • Javascript accessibility
  • Accessibility auditing
  • Mobile and web application accessibility
  • Accessible code patterns