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Re: Accessibilty consultant salary

for

From: Mike Barlow
Date: May 10, 2016 9:10AM

Good points Jordan, however one of the biggest problems I've seen is that
many companies don't want to go through the effort of actually making their
sites accessible UNLESS they start getting "nasty" letters from lawyers
(one of my latest clients was that situation).
It's also "amusing" that there was a recent "Web Accessibility" lecture
given at a recent user group meeting I attended that was cohosted by a law
firm and that law firm's own web site failed an accessibility check that I
did on them miserably. But when I mentioned that to them they showed no
interest in getting their site "fixed".

So what's one to do??? How to convince companies that they need to do this
from the start rather than wait for "feedback" from lawyers filing suits?


*Mike Barlow*
Web Application Developer
Web Accessibility/Section 508 SME

Lancaster, Pa 17601
Office: 732.835-7557
Cell: 732.682.8226
e-mail: <EMAIL REMOVED>

On Tue, May 10, 2016 at 11:05 AM, Jordan Wilson <
<EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> I'd suggest that this industry is a very good industry to be involved in
> right now.
>
> Supply: Small - there are a limited number of professionals in the field
> Demand: High - new regulations and awareness is creating a lot of need.
> Upcoming legal updates will only make that stronger.
> Outlook: Bright - This newfangled web thing seems to be pretty popular.
>
> Don't forget the added benefit of coming to work everyday knowing that
> you're doing something positive/useful/helpful and working with a great
> community.
>
>
>
>
> On 5/10/16, 9:52 AM, "WebAIM-Forum on behalf of Birkir R. Gunnarsson" <
> <EMAIL REMOVED> on behalf of
> <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> >I'd be happy to provide web accessibility consulting for $18000 an hour.
> *grin*
> >Seriously, a friend of mine who works at a very large multi-national
> >company once said they contracted a specialist for an hourly rate like
> >that .. and not for accessibility purposes.
> >
> >
> >
> >On 5/10/16, Jennifer Sutton < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >> WebAIM folks:
> >>
> >> I'll be fascinated to see where this discussion goes.
> >>
> >>
> >> I've been on email lists that explicitly forbid the discussion of
> >> salaries, lest the list be put in the position of setting up some kind
> >> of industry price-fixing or collusion, or even the appearance thereof.
> >>
> >>
> >> It's not my intention to sound scary; I'm simply sharing my experience.
> >> These were very mainstream lists consisting of folks who worked on the
> web.
> >>
> >>
> >> For my part, what I'll say, as an independent consultant is that it very
> >> much depends on your market/what kind of rates others outside of
> >> accessibility are charging, plus cost of living, plus all of the things
> >> that are required to sustain a business and a life. And sometimes, if
> >> business is good, I might charge a little less to help a nonprofit.
> >>
> >>
> >> Basically, specializing in accessibility, in my view, is going to
> >> require you to market harder, rather than if you were an independent
> >> developer who offered accessibility as an additional service (or if you
> >> just did it as a matter of course, which is even better).
> >>
> >>
> >> I sat on the procurement side of the desk, for a while, and what I
> >> learned from that has certainly informed my thinking as I've returned to
> >> consulting.
> >>
> >>
> >> So, were I in your shoes, Mike, I'd solicit bids for projects from your
> >> current job; that's how you really can get a sense of what companies
> >> would charge. And of course, the longer a company has been around/has a
> >> reputation, the more they can charge.
> >>
> >>
> >> I'd also mention that the more the legal situation heats up in the U.S.
> >> (or perhaps it would now be better to say becomes hard to predict), the
> >> more anyone who's in this business needs to keep that in mind. What
> >> "keeping that in mind" means for each consultant is up to him/her to
> >> judge. But not thinking about that area early and often, when
> >> establishing a new business, seems to me unwise.
> >>
> >>
> >> I trust you're studying the market enough to know, Mike, that Deque,
> >> TPG, and SSB BART Group are all hiring like crazy. That's something that
> >> would inform my thinking, if I were in your situation. Other companies
> >> may be, too; I mention these three because they're the ones I see.
> >>
> >>
> >> And no, I'm not going to reveal my rates here on the list, or by private
> >> email, unless someone contacts me about real work, just in case you were
> >> waiting for "the punch line." See my LinkedIn profile link below my
> >> name. And I'm not responding here as a disguised marketing pitch.
> >>
> >>
> >> Finally, here's a link to a WebAIM survey that may be helpful.
> >>
> >> http://webaim.org/blog/practitioner-survey-results/
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Good luck.
> >>
> >> Jennifer
> >>
> >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/jsuttonmedia
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> > >> > >> > >> > >>
> >
> >
> >--
> >Work hard. Have fun. Make history.
> >> >> >> >> > > > >