everything you ever learned… applies to accessibility
TRANSCRIPT
Everything you ever learned…APPLIES TO ACCESSIBILITY
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Exploring the range of accessibility positions
Skills needed for the position Which do I already have?
Which could I develop?
Which don’t I have or want!?
Who is hiring? What are they looking for?
WebAIM survey of accessibility professionals
900 responses to survey in 2014
90 % of respondents live/ work in US and Europe
78% do not have a disability themselves
Educated: 74% have a B.A. or above
Corporate – 40% Educational institution – 20%
Government – 20%
Job title: 40% have “Accessibility” in the title
(at least) 25% are in tech
50% work full time or near full time in accessibility
Jobs with word “Accessibility” in the title or description
Indeed.com
Title ~ Accessibility = 107
Description ~ Accessibility = 11,444
½ tech: developers and testers
¼ manager/ administration
¼ other
Oct, 25, 2015
LinkedIn.com
Title ~ Accessibility = 58
Description ~ Accessibility = 5303
Same breakdown as indeed.com
Same ratio 1 job using “Accessibility” in title: 100 jobs where “accessibility” is used in the job description
Oct 25, 2015
Job titlesthanks, tagcrowd.com!
Companies hiring Accessibility titles
Developer
Technical knowledge of HTML, CSS, good coding practices
Ability to learn programming languages
Linear bias
QA
Constantly testing
Constantly questioning
Measuring
Pit-bull personality
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Psychologist
Place person in context
Understand motivations
Appeal to their strengths
Lead people to discover truths for themselves
Anthropologist
Ethnographic (field) studies
Deep research into what makes people tick
Understanding of group dynamics
Pre-school teacher
Make complex subjects simple
Meet person where they are and gently lead them to the next stage
Patience personified
Overlook momentary stalls as you see the bigger picture
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Writer
Communication
Deliver message without preaching
Embody different personalities, styles; get into character
Technical Writer
Explain the complex simply
Write instructions to guide users
Not afraid of technology
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Standup Comedian
Thick skin to shed criticism
Can see many sides to a subject
Inject humor into the thorniest of subjects
Stripper
Keep audience attention
Peeling the onion
Appeal to basic instincts
Prison Guard
Keep everyone aware of the rules
Focus on safety and group thought
Track the unusual
Project Manager
Detailed planning with known/ expected outcome
Track multiple resources/ outcomes to deliver on time
Taskmaster when needed
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Accountant
Attention to detail
Guided by rules; stay within parameters
Risk adverse
Engineer
Work within constraints
Enjoy meeting technical specifications
Able to work diligently for long periods of time
Statistician
Data cruncher par excellence
Produce visualizations that convey data discoveries
Trusts the numbers
What’s in your skill toolbox?
Technical skills
Developer
QA
Social skills
Psychologist
Pre-school Teacher
Communication
Tech Writer
Stand-up Comedian
Persuasion skills
Sales
Substitute Teacher
Data skills
Accountant
Statistician
Physical Skills
Auto Mechanic
Warehouse Worker
Auto Mechanic
Comfortable with technological solutions
Able to manufacture and produce physical results
Ability to follow rules and produce same results repeatedly
Art Teacher
Creative and also able to elicit creativity in others
Can envision workarounds when the usual methods don’t work
Willing to try something new
Ghostbuster
Aware of non-physical dimensions
Not afraid to go where others fear to tread
Imaginative in creating solutions
Professor
Used to doing deep and critical analysis
Publish works for others to build on
Research is built into their style
Lawyer
Aware of how the law works: rules/ regulations/ guidelines/ standards
Aware of timeframes around legalities
Can defend against litigation
Hidden job market
Uses accessibility the way we use it as part of skills needed/ desired
Uses other terms as well (ADA, Section 508, WCAG) in their recruiting terminology
Jobs with more usual job title, Instructional Coordinator, Project Manager, Senior Developer, Quality Assurance Engineer
“Accessibility Skills” are wanted but not to the exclusion of other core skills
You
Define your skills
Line up your skills with accessibility career which play to your strengths
Realize that you will be:
Unique in the short run
In short supply in the medium run
Re-invent yourself again in the long run
Web Designer UI/ UX for ‘Go Nimbly’, San Francisco, CA, $45 hr.
We're looking for a designer to help our company redesign our website. The successful candidate must ensure all elements of the UI (interface design, navigation, information hierarchy, accessibility) meet business objectives and user needs.
Requirements:
- Solid knowledge of Adobe CC web design suite on a Mac is required
- Previous experience with web/mobile/responsive design, layout and typography is essential
- Familiar with Wordpress CMS (no coding experience required)
- Passion for delivering beautiful, effective, results-focused, creative work
- Proven ability to maintain professional usability and artistic standards
- Excellent artistic eye for visual storytelling.
Job Type: Contract
Required experience:
Web Design: 2 years
Thanks for attending!
Elianna James I Break Websites LLC, President
www.ibreakwebsites.com
720-425-1001
Twitter: @eliannaj
LinkedIn: Open invite to join me there