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Re: - looking for ways to enter into web accessibility testingcareer

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From: Hayman, Douglass
Date: Apr 16, 2024 9:17AM

Kavein,

I completed the Trusted Tester training/certification a couple of years ago. This was before they made changes to their LMS but I did hear from others who were midway through the process of the changes, being fearful that their work progress would be lost. I've had success sending emails to <EMAIL REMOVED> and wonder if that is where you sent your questions?

Big picture on Trusted Tester is that you complete each section then move on to the practice exam, score high enough then qualify to do the certification exam. With the final exam I allowed a whole day without distraction and if memory serves me, failed some questions wherein they send you feedback on which ones you got wrong. And then those are the remaining ones you have to pass to get the certification.

I'm a sighted user so the whole certification process would be much easier for me than for you as a screen reader user from what I've come to know of that extra layer to work through.

As for the job world, there are companies that are thoughtful about their accessibility work and rely not only on internal developers with accessibility experience but go the extra mile to have people with disabilities who use assistive technology give them feedback not only on accessibility but also usability. I imagine that if you look around at companies that make software used in higher education or government work where accessibility is required, then those companies would benefit from making their offerings more accessible. Check the web sites of some of those companies that make Learning Management Systems, course content, and other such tools and look for their VPATs. Do they employ outside firms to create the VPAT completed as an ACR? Do they also mention additional testing by people with various disabilities who rely upon assistive technology like screen reading software? In time, looking at ACRs you'll find a few are exceptional for their honesty and detail while many are merely a checkbox checked to make sales.

Perhaps you'd volunteer with some places for a short while to get some concrete skills like helping some agencies doing testing for procurement. Does Malaysia have national laws mandating accessibility in education and government web sites? If so, do those shopping for information and communication technology do testing to be compliant?

Doug Hayman
IT Accessibility Coordinator
Information Technology
Olympic College
<EMAIL REMOVED>
(360) 475-7632