Vocational Rehabilitation Job Training & Certification
AccessAbility Officer’s mission is to create and advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Everything is laser focused on realizing this organizational vision.
“The U.S. unemployment rate for the disabled should be the same as the U.S. unemployment rate.”
3 Comprehensive VR Job Training Programs
- Certified AccessAbility Testing (CAT) Program: Technical job skills training & certification
- Accessibility@Work: Solve inaccessible software, application & work environments
- Getting Hired Playbook: Get more interviews & recruiters asking when you’re available to work
Certified AccessAbility Testing - CAT Program Overview
Transcript
Narrator> AccessAbility Officer logo in blue, green, and black text is above the Certified AccessAbility Tester certification, CAT 2.1.
Narrator> Four CAT program graduates are speaking.
Mary Beth> The fact that it was remote and I could do most of the study on my own time worked in my favor.
Bee> Oh, hey. Wow. It took me thirty minutes to find one. But this guy, he found one in about five seconds, and just being able to watch that and know that In two, three years, you could be that guy.
Christopher> It it gives you the tools that you need to go forward. With any way in accessibility.
Ellen> I really appreciate that, AccessAbility Officer as a company has employed so many blind people.
Christopher> My name is Christopher Tavarez. I’m from Long Island, New York. And I’ve graduated the CAP program.
Mary Beth> My name is Mary Beth Ritter, and I’m from New Waygo, Michigan. I’m a mother of four and currently am working as a brailleist.
Bee> My name is Bee Yang. I am from Santa Clarita, California.
Ellen> My name is Ellen Bartlett. I’m from Syracuse, New York.
Mary Beth> It’s a wonderful well rounded program.
Christopher> The team will always be behind your back, and they’ll always be checking up on you, making sure you’re okay.
Bee> The support that I was given from all the instructors and the feedback. It’s all stuff that helps you to grow as a person.
Mary Beth> The constant continuous support and encouragement, not only from the staff, but from the other members of my cohort.
Ellen> A lot of new things that I didn’t think about before?
Christopher> Getting to speak with the people who actually work in accessibility testing
Bee> So it’s kind of opened my eyes per se to all the problems that people might face.
Mary Beth> It really helped me gain confidence.
Ellen> There are other blind people out there doing this kind of work.
Christopher> So it goes just beyond the accessibility testing aspect.
Bee> You’re going to learn a lot of new computer skills. You’re going to learn, self discipline, how to
manage your time properly.
Mary Beth> You will be able to make a career out of web accessibility testing.
Ellen> Now that I actually do work in the field, I love I do love this work because it’s it’s almost like solving a puzzle.
Bee> Definitely recommend the CAT program.
Mary Beth> I would definitely recommend the CAT program.
Christopher> Don’t get scared. There’s a lot of big words in tech in general.
Bee> So if you’re hesitating, please. Think about it and and dive in because it’s only gonna better you in the long run.
Narrator> AccessAbility Officer logo in blue, green, and text above a phone number and email, 518-718-2383 ADA@AccessAbilityOfficer.com
AccessAbility Officer is spelled a c c e s s A b i l i t y O f f i c e r.
The only digital accessibility job training and certification program designed for vocational rehabilitation clients with guaranteed part-time employment!
- In Phase I, students are introduced to US laws and accessibility guidelines before developing technical job skills for testing, reporting, and guiding the remediation of websites. Within 4 months, students sit for final exams to earn certification.
- In Phase II, successful graduates work part-time as a digital accessibility analyst, build work experience, and develop job readiness for a successful career transition beyond case closure.
Biggest Problems With Knowledge-Based Accessibility Training & Certification
Biggest Technical Upskilling Problems & Gaps in Digital Accessibility
- Knowledge-Based Curriculum & Approach
Text-based and pre-recorded trainings focusing on laws, best practices, and accessibility concepts are insufficient at upskilling talent responsible for technical digital accessibility job functions. Technical upskilling is most effective and realized through hands-on workshops, guided practice, live instructor feedback, coaching, and instruction.
- Lacking Instructor Feedback, support and coaching
Digital accessibility is complex and ambiguous. Text-based and pre-recorded trainings may be appropriate for teaching higher level general knowledge about digital accessibility. However, this model is insufficient at upskilling individual’s and organization’s talent with technical hands-on skills required to comprehensively test, report, and guide remediation against WCAG and Section 508 accessibility compliance standards. Consistent and ongoing instructor feedback, support, and coaching is the strongest method of ensuring individual and team technical upskilling in digital accessibility.
- No Technical Digital Accessibility Skill Assessment Required to Earn Certification
Multiple choice tests based on a body of knowledge are limited to evaluating one’s ability to memorize information and answer questions accordingly. A technical skill-based certification must test, assess, and validate demonstratable technical job skills and responsibilities. The same is true for digital accessibility compliance testing, monitoring, reporting, and remediation. Acquisition of technical skills can only be tested and validated through demonstrating technical skills in a “real-world” work environment.
- Assessing and validating technical digital accessibility skills is human-driven
No artificial intelligence or automated software is capable of testing every WCAG success criteria. Achieving digital accessibility compliance is only possible with human intervention, including testing, reporting, and guiding remediation against WCAG. Therefore, any certification testing and validating whether individuals have demonstratable technical digital accessibility skills must be done by another human certified in the same digital accessibility standards. Due to the ambiguity of WCAG, certification exams using multiple certified experts to evaluate final exam submission accuracy should be completed by more than one certified accessibility expert.
Features | Supported | Comprehensive VR | |
|---|---|---|---|
100% Remote | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Lectures | Pre-Recorded | Pre-Recorded | Live |
1-on-1 Expert Mentoring | X | ✅ | ✅ |
Hands-On Workshops | Pre-Recorded | Pre-Recorded | Live |
Recordings + Transcripts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Proctored Final Exam | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Final Exam Graded by 3 A11y SMEs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Final Exam Feedback Session | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Online LMS | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Per Module Assignments | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Per Module Quizzes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Per Module Discussion Prompts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Tools + Resources | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Work Project | X | X | ✅ |
Part-Time Work | X | X | ✅ |
Job Sourcing | X | X | ✅ |
Screen Reader Accessible | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Accessible to All | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
CAT Certification | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Trusted Tester | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Investment | $1,952 | $7,788 | $13,884 |
Digital Accessibility at Work
The biggest threat people with disabilities face for retaining employment is inaccessible software, platforms, and digital workplaces.
Being able to remove an employer’s financial burdens and ADA compliance risks is invaluable for retaining employment and increasing your value as an employee.
In this fully remote instructor-led program, students will learn and be able to:
- Perform manual and automated accessibility testing
- Guide technical resources to fix accessibility problems
- Help procurement evaluate venders and purchase accessible digital software solutions.
If you are reliant on assistive technology like screen readers, voice-to-text, or others, this training is essential for retaining and maintaining competitive employment.
For candidates with disabilities, the Getting Hired Playbook is your secret weapon to:
Skip the traditional application process to land your next interview
Get recruiters and hiring managers to share their open jobs with you
Land your first interview in 150 days… Guaranteed!
Let’s Talk Successful Case Closures…
Monday-Friday
9:30AM–7:30PM 📞 518-718-2383
Or let’s line up a couple minutes on the calendar…