What can companies do to raise awareness of the need for employees that understand accessibility?

When employees across a company – in engineering, design, and development roles – have an understanding of accessibility, rather than just a handful of employees in an accessibility department, it can lead to improved accessibility of products developed and services offered by the company. To achieve this goal, Teach Access is encouraging employers to include in job descriptions required or preferred skill, knowledge and/or experience about accessibility. This strategy raises awareness of job seekers of the importance of these skills.

Examples of statements that companies have used in job descriptions as required or desirable qualifications include that the applicant will have:

• Familiarity with mobile accessibility best practices
• Experience with Google Talkback Accessibility Services preferred
• Experience with user research supporting accessibility highly desirable
• An understanding of Technical UX concepts like: accessibility, performance, and responsive design implementation
• Experience with web accessibility standards and requirements (e.g. WCAG 2.0 & Section 508 Standards)
• An understanding of accessible design principles and the ability to build products that are accessible to users with disabilities
• The ability to research, evaluate, and enforce web standards for usability and accessibility

For more information and further examples, consult the Teach Access Job Description Initiative.