Top 8 Accessibility Certifications to Pursue in 2023

by Brenda Barron Stokes connected Mar 21, 2023

Accessibility is an progressively important taxable successful the tech industry, arsenic companies strive to marque their products and services accessible to each users. With this increasing request for accessibility comes a request for certified professionals who are knowledgeable astir champion practices and standards.

In this article:

1. Why Get an Accessibility Certification?
2. Top 8 Accessibility Certifications to Consider successful 2023
3. How to Select an Accessibility Certification

In 2023, determination are a fig of certifications you tin get to go an adept successful accessibility. From web improvement to merchandise design, these certifications volition springiness you the skills needed to enactment with immoderate enactment connected making their products much accessible.

But first, let’s analyse wherefore getting an accessibility certification is truthful important successful the archetypal place.

Why Get an Accessibility Certification?

When it comes to accessibility, organizations request idiosyncratic who not lone understands the standards and regulations but besides knows however to use them successful a applicable manner. Certification ensures that you person the skills required to code immoderate imaginable issues with a merchandise oregon service.

By becoming certified, you tin beryllium to employers that you recognize the complexities of accessibility and that you are qualified to enactment connected immoderate project. This tin springiness you an borderline implicit different applicants who bash not person a certification successful this area.

Having a certification is besides beneficial for vocation growth. You’ll beryllium capable to amusement imaginable employers that you not lone recognize the basics of accessibility but besides person a coagulated grasp of champion practices and standards. This tin unfastened the doorway for much occupation opportunities successful the future.

Lastly, getting certified volition springiness you an accidental to enactment up-to-date with caller laws and regulations related to accessibility. With this knowledge, you’ll beryllium capable to guarantee that immoderate products oregon services you enactment connected comply with each indispensable standards. And you tin ever inquire your current leader to o.k. this training, which stands to adhd to what you tin bring to the company.

Top 8 Accessibility Certifications to Consider successful 2023

In the past, we’ve covered UI/UX certifications arsenic good arsenic those pertaining to software development. So today, we’ll crook our attraction to immoderate of the apical accessibility certifications disposable successful 2023 that you should see pursuing:

1. Certified Professional successful Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)

With the Certified Professional successful Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) credential, you tin beryllium that your proficiency and knowing of accessibility principles and practices is without question. The CPACC badge serves arsenic a awesome of your dedication to applying wide accessibility cognition successful immoderate situation. It’s offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).

The outgo of the CPACC certification is $450 USD, and it tin beryllium completed online oregon in-person. The exam consists of 60 aggregate prime questions and takes astir 90 minutes to complete.

Obtaining the CPACC certification provides an idiosyncratic with a broad knowing of accessibility champion practices and standards, arsenic good arsenic a competitory vantage erstwhile applying for jobs oregon contracts related to integer accessibility. It besides serves arsenic impervious that an idiosyncratic has the cognition indispensable to make accessible websites, applications, documents, and different integer products.

2. Certified Professional successful Accessible Built Environments (CPABE)

The Certified Professional successful Accessible Built Environments (CPABE) is simply a credential offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). It identifies individuals who person acquired the cognition and skills to instrumentality built situation accessibility, specified arsenic architects, engineers, and different professionals.

The outgo for the CPABE certification is $495 USD for IAAP members and $595 USD for non-members. This format is simply a two-hour online trial that you tin instrumentality astatine your ain pace.The exam covers topics specified arsenic gathering codes, standards, regulations, and champion practices related to accessible built environments.

If you’re looking to show your expertise successful the tract of accessible built environments, this certification whitethorn beryllium the close prime for you. It tin besides unfastened up caller vocation opportunities and supply designation from peers successful the industry. It tin besides assistance employers conscionable compliance requirements and guarantee that their buildings are accessible to each users.

3. W3Cx’s Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate

The W3Cx Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate is simply a broad programme designed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to thatch the indispensable coding skills for gathering interactive and engaging websites. The programme includes topics similar HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery. It besides includes lectures connected responsive design, accessibility, and show optimization.

The outgo of this certification is $499 USD. The people is offered online successful an asynchronous format, meaning that you tin entree the worldly astatine immoderate clip and enactment astatine your ain pace. It typically takes astir 5 months to implicit the programme if you are studying full-time.

This certification is cleanable for anyone looking to interruption into web improvement oregon heighten their existing accomplishment set. With this certificate, you volition summation a coagulated instauration successful front-end web improvement and beryllium capable to make websites with modern features similar responsive plan and accessibility standards.

4. Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS)

The Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) certification is an intermediate method level credential offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). It’s designed to measure a candidate’s cognition and acquisition successful web accessibility. The WAS exam covers topics specified arsenic WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, codification remediation, and investigating methods needed to make accessible websites.

The outgo for the WAS certification is $250 for IAAP members oregon $350 for non-members. The exam format is online and takes astir 2 hours to complete.

Should you determine to get a WAS certification, you’ll beryllium capable to show your expertise successful web accessibility and beforehand their vocation successful this field.

5. Accessible Document Specialist (ADS)

The Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) certification is yet different intermediate-level method credential offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). The ADS certification is designed for accessibility professionals who person regular hands-on acquisition with creating, designing, and evaluating accessible documents.

Pricing for the ADS certification is $395 USD. The exam format is simply a operation of aggregate prime and abbreviated reply questions and it typically takes 2 hours to complete.

Acquiring this certification demonstrates a committedness to accessibility champion practices, arsenic good arsenic a mastery of papers remediation tools and accessibility checkers. It besides serves arsenic a invaluable plus for those looking to beforehand their vocation successful the tract of integer accessibility.

6. Certified Professional successful Accessibility Auditing (CPAA)

Next up is the Certified Professional successful Accessibility Auditing (CPAA) certification. This is simply a nonrecreational certification offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and indicates a person’s cognition of accessibility auditing. This certification covers topics similar web accessibility, mobile accessibility, bundle accessibility, and assistive technology.

Costs are $495 for IAAP members and $595 for non-members. The format of the exam is online and it typically takes betwixt 4-6 hours to complete.

The CPAA certification is perfect for those who’d similar to larn much astir accessibility auditing oregon who privation to enactment up-to-date connected champion practices and trends successful the field. It tin besides assistance individuals basal retired from different occupation applicants erstwhile applying for positions related to accessibility auditing.

7. Certified Professional successful Digital Health Transformation Strategy (CPDHTS)

The Certified Professional successful Digital Health Transformation Strategy (CPDHTS) is simply a nonrecreational certification offered by HIMSS, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. This certification demonstrates an individual’s expertise successful integer wellness strategy and provides them with the knowledge, tools and strategies to plan and instrumentality technology-enabled initiatives to present amended healthcare outcomes.

Costs associated with obtaining this certification is $450 for HIMSS members oregon $550 for non-members. The format of the certification includes an online exam that takes astir 2 hours to complete.

Once you person this certification successful hand, you tin amended show your committedness to staying abreast of the latest trends successful integer wellness transformation.It’s besides adjuvant for demonstrating expertise and gaining a competitory borderline successful the occupation market.

8. Certified Professional successful Web Accessibility (CPWA)

The Certified Professional successful Web Accessibility (CPWA) is simply a certification offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and is designed to show a broad knowing of web accessibility principles and practices, arsenic good arsenic the quality to use them. The CPWA certification exam covers galore subjects including web accessibility standards, champion practices, and ineligible requirements.

You tin expect to wage $430 arsenic an IAAP subordinate for the CPWA certification exam and $530 arsenic a non-member. The exam is administered online and takes astir 2 hours to complete.

Once you get this certification, you person impervious successful manus that you cognize what you’re talking astir erstwhile it comes to web accessibility. But it tin besides assistance employers guarantee their websites are accessible to each users, which is progressively important fixed the increasing fig of ineligible requirements related to website accessibility.

How to Select an Accessibility Certification

When selecting an accessibility certification to complete, it’s important to see a assortment of factors, including:

• Your level of expertise successful accessibility: Are you a beginner oregon an expert?
• The cost: How overmuch are you consenting to walk connected certification?
• The format of the exam: Is it online oregon in-person?
• The topics covered: Does the certification see applicable topics for your occupation oregon field?
• Your vocation goals: What bash you privation to execute done the certification?

As for taxable matter, it is important to recognize the antithetic types of certifications disposable and their respective requirements. The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) offers a assortment of certifications, including the Certified Professional successful Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS), and Web Accessibility Practitioner (WAP). Additionally, organizations specified arsenic Deque University and W3C connection escaped online courses that tin assistance you summation cognition successful accessibility topics.

The CPACC is the foundational nonrecreational credential that represents the quality to use broad, cross-disciplinary cognition of accessibility principles and practices. The WAS and WAP certifications, which absorption connected web accessibility and mobile applications respectively, are some valid for 3 years. In bid to renew them, individuals indispensable summation Continuing Education Accessibility Credits (CAECs) done Professional Development activities.

Finally, Princeton University offers a Certified Digital Accessibility Training program which provides specialized integer accessibility grooming with an accessible e-learning level to amended knowledge, skills, and competencies of professionals successful this field.

When selecting an accessibility certification to complete, it is important to see your existent level of cognition successful this country arsenic good arsenic your vocation goals. Free online courses are a large mode to get started if you are caller to integer accessibility oregon request a refresher earlier taking much precocious certifications.

Once you’ve identified which benignant of certification champion suits your needs and interests, you tin statesman preparing for the exam with resources specified arsenic survey guides oregon signifier tests.

Move Forward with Accessibility Certifications

Accessibility certifications tin supply a invaluable summation to immoderate professional’s credentials. By taking the clip to probe the assorted types of certifications disposable and uncovering the close 1 for you, you tin beryllium good connected your mode to gaining caller skills and advancing your career. Good luck!