The INternational Association of Accessibility Professionals is a new membership organization seeking to unite and act as a resource for professionals in the accessibility field. In this podcast, IAAP board President Rob Sinclair and CEO David Dikter spent a few moments with us to explain the idea and goals for the organization and how you can get involved. Blind Bargains audio coverage of CSUN 2014 is generously sponsored by the American Foundation for the Blind.
Transcript
We strive to provide an accurate transcription, though errors may occur.
Hide transcriptTranscribed by Kayde Rieken
Direct from San Diego, it's BlindBargains.com coverage of CSUN 2014. The biggest names, provocative interviews, and wall-to-wall exhibit hall coverage. Brought to you by the American Foundation for the Blind.
Are you willing to share your skills and knowledge of the workplace as a person who is blind or visually impaired? Become an AFB CareerConnect mentor and help job-seekers find their path to success. Sign up today at www.CareerConnect.org.
Now, here's J.J. Meddaugh.
J.J. Meddaugh: We're here at CSUN 2014 with Rob Sinclair and David Dikter. You might know Rob from his work with Microsoft and perhaps David from ATIA; but today, they are with us to talk about a new organization, IAAP, for accessibility professionals. Welcome to Blind Bargains.
David Dikter: Thanks. Good to be here.
Rob Sinclair: Thanks, J.J. Yeah, appreciate it.
JM: So why don't you tell us, exactly what is the IAAP?
RS: So the IAAP is a — it's an organization that we're using to create a global-ready force of accessibility professionals.
JM: Okay. What does it stand for?
RS: The International Association of Accessibility Professionals.
JM: Okay. So what are some of the goals of an organization like this? What was the — the mindset that went into creating such an organization?
DD: So the — we really have three major goals and three major areas of focus. We really want to grow the space of accessibility. We believe that accessibility professionals are the key to growing accessibility, both within corporations and governments and organizations and — you name it. I mean, the only way we're going to reach the level of accessibility we all desire is if we have more professionals —
JM: Mm-hmm.
DD: — more skilled professionals, around accessibility embedded across organizations, who understand how to do accessibility so they start thinking about it —
JM: Right.
DD: — before they have to fix it. And so we have a focus on professional development and raising the bar on the professional skills of people in — in the field and people entering the world of accessibility. We want to build the certification around that so that people can understand, yes, they've met those areas.
JM: Right.
DD: We have a goal focusing on organizational development, how organizations should value these accessibility professionals, the people with these skills, and how organizations need to really think long and hard about the strategies they employ to make accessibility part of their overall organization. And then we also really — one of the really exciting pieces is really bringing the community globally together. The people who've been involved in accessibility, a lot of them know each other; a lot of it are pockets of communities here and there; but, you know, when we think about the needs and the numbers of people we need involved, we need to start building a more formal profession and really professionalizing the profession that exists today.
JM: Sure. So when it comes to an "accessibility professional," are you targeting a — pretty much anyone in the field? Anyone, say, from — from trainers to people at, you know, mainstream companies? Like, is there specific types of people that would be most appropriate for this group, or you're looking for anybody in the room here?
RS: So we are focusing specifically on digital accessibility; so we're not going after building architects, for example.
JM: Okay.
RS: And — but within digital accessibility, yeah, it's a fairly broad scope that we envision going after eventually. So you could imagine that's web developers, it's app developers, it's designers, trainers or educators, content authors that are publishing how-to documents. So yeah, it's a very broad swath including business leaders. Now, we're obviously going to have to focus our energy and not take all of it on at once, but —
JM: Right.
RS: Yeah. The overall goal is absolutely just to educate everyone that's involved with accessibility, around digital accessibility.
JM: I guess the comparison that people probably would be used to is, like, you know, those organizations for doctors or lawyers or teachers and other groups. There really isn't a lot out there for AT professionals at the moment, right?
DD: There — there isn't. I mean, there are organizations for, as you said, for AT — you know, for some AT. Like, there's RESNA, and there's some other organizations for assistive technology, when you say AT. But from an accessibility point of view, in the mainstream arena, there are resources — there are lots and lots of great resources and lots of great organizations that have done great stuff — and there's standards organizations. But there hasn't been this coming together as a profession under one — under an umbrella, for lots of folks to gather and drive the profession forward. We believe that we can get a lot done if we come together and drive these agenda items, you know. We're not — as an organization, we're trying to kind of really help point people to where they need to get resources, to not have to reinvent the wheel of what's already going on.
JM: Sure. So it's certainly — as far as gathering resources, I'm guessing there also is an advocacy piece as well as far as pushing to make people realize the importance of accessibility, whether it's in the classroom or whether it's in the workplace or anywhere else; right?
RS: At the moment, we're not planning to take on the advocacy role —
JM: Okay.
RS: — or influencing public policy. We are focused on really helping people understand, at an organizational level or an individual level, how to actually be successful in accessibility. So that's — it's — that's where the training comes in; that's where the certification comes in, to actually educate people and keep them up to date. It's also where that community engagement model comes in, where we share best practices across the profession and around the world so that, if you're a web developer, you have a rich pool of colleagues that you can actually go and ask a question. Or if you've just been, you know, appointed as the Chief Accessibility Officer for an organization and you think to yourself, Wow, how do you build an accessible new program —
JM: Right.
RS: — in your organization? You have a pool of people you can go and talk to and say, Hey, how do we do this? How did you start? What did you learn? If you were starting now, what would you do differently?
JM: Sure.
RS: So — so it's a lot about the how and the what.
JM: Right.
DD: I — I would say that — that our goal in terms of creating more, greater accessible services, accessible content, accessible platforms and technologies, really is about a belief that without professionals who have the right skills and knowledge, that we're not going to get there. So our advocacy effort is to advocate for this profession to grow and to be strong and to be skilled and knowledgeable. Without it, it's difficult to reach our bigger goals, which are accessibility everywhere.
JM: Mm-hmm.
RS: Well, and the other interesting piece maybe to your question, J.J., is that there are other organizations already doing a lot of advocacy.
JM: Sure.
RS: So — so we're not trying to, you know, take over the whole of accessibility; there's a lot of great work already happening. What we've identified, I think, — as David described earlier — is a gap that we're actually trying to fill to really complete that cycle. And we actually — some of those advocacy organizations have already joined the IAAP; so they're actually part of the professional society themselves.
JM: Okay.
DD: NFB being one of our founding members.
RS: That's right. Yeah.
JM: All right. So the organization is live now. You — it can be joined as a group or can you join as an individual at this point or —
RS: Both, right?
DD: Both.
RS: Yeah.
DD: So we have — we have multiple levels of — of membership; and the website is accessibilityassociation.org —
JM: Okay.
DD: — and I'm you'll repeat that later. But — but there — so the membership is both individual and organizational. The individual levels are a professional level and a student level. For the time being, that level — those two levels — will be free. There's no dues or fees associated with that for a full year because we really want people to join and in get excited and get involved. And because we have this group of founding members, we said that'll be no fee for individuals. In the future, the professional level will be $185; and the student level will be $50 a year to join.
JM: Okay.
DD: Then we have organizational levels, and we've split that into two. We've split that into corporations and then into non-profits, higher education, and government. They have multiple levels within them, depending on where that organization fits in terms of their size and their number of employees they want engaged in the organization. And so, you know, we have those two levels within an organization. And basically, what they'd be doing is buying memberships for individuals, right? So the —
JM: Sure.
DD: — the whole idea of a professional association is about people; it's about individuals who are —
JM: Right.
RS: Yeah.
DD: — in the profession.
RS: See, that's the more important part. (Laughs)
DD: Right.
RS: Yeah.
JM: Sure. So you talk about all the resources that members can share. Any other benefits that you would get as far as being a member of the organization, or —
DD: We're already launching a series of webinars where there's some — there'll be — they're fee-based, so there'll be some discounts for members for sure. On everything that we do, there'll be —
JM: Okay.
DD: — kind of tiered pricing. You're either a member or you're not. And for members right now — you want to talk about accessibility curriculum that you guys have already started —
RS: Yeah, yeah.
DD: — the beta version of that?
RS: Yeah. So we've actually — so the — the site's launched, right? People can start joining now. And there's a couple of things that we're looking for people to provide feedback on. One is an accessibility 101 course. it's in a beta; it's on the site.
JM: Okay.
RS: So we'd like people to provide feedback. Our goal is to gather — I believe the window for feedback is about six weeks, four weeks.
DD: Yeah, something like that.
RS: So it's going to launch in early summer, so we're looking for some people to provide feedback on that. The second thing — David's mentioned the webinars.
JM: Yep.
RS: So that's another benefit, an activity that people can participate in. And then there's the professional curriculum. And we are looking — we have a draft at the professional development framework and a certification framework. And that's — they're very much V1 —
JM: Sure.
RS: — very much draft versions. And so — yeah. So a couple things people can do is, they can get involved, exchange ideas; they can provide feedback on the training and provide feedback on where we're going with the profession.
JM: Sure. Perhaps we could talk a minute — one of the things that's been talked about recently — and I know it's not a — a new idea — but really, to help improve accessibility and expand that culture, there's been a lot of discussion about how that curriculum really needs to be taught at colleges and universities.
RS: Right.
JM: How — how can the IAAP perhaps help along in that goal or is —
RS: Yeah.
JM: — maybe the providing curriculum or —
RS: That's a great point, yeah. So there's two lenses, really. One is, once you're in the workplace — if you're already in the work force, how do we actually train you and help you keep up to date?
JM: Mm-hmm.
RS: The second is, like you're saying, before you come into the work force. So that's where we're working with a couple of universities to explore, how do we build this into their curriculum? Is that part of computer science courses and design courses and business classes; or is there a dedicated tracker in accessibility?
JM: Sure.
RS: In some cases, it could be both.
JM: It could — you're right, a combination or —
RS: That's right.
JM: — anything from a — an actual dedicated major or minor to a class that every CS major has to take.
RS: That's right.
JM: Right.
RS: And somebody — someone this morning was even suggesting that — you know, the STEM courses and the computer literacy courses that are in high schools — should we be thinking about, you know, working to the point where we get that — couldn't it be integrated in at that level as well?
JM: Mm-hmm.
RS: So we definitely want — like you said, it's a multi-lens approach where we're looking at during school and then also in the workplace.
JM: Mm-hmm.
DD: And — and interestingly enough, what — we actually have a — a K-12 state school — the Washington State School for the Blind — that joined as a founding member because they believe — their goal is to make sure that their students have skills to go out into the workplace.
JM: Mm-hmm.
DD: So they believe in this notion of not only the accessibility professional; but without accessibility professionals, it makes it harder and harder to find workplaces that are accessible to begin with.
JM: Sure.
DD: So — so it becomes a whole circle — a cycle of things. But the other part that we know about in terms of curriculums in universities, whether it be engineering or computer science courses, is that, as a profession, we need to show universities that people are being hired for accessibility, that it is something that they need to train skills-wise to their students so that their prepared in the world for the expectations of companies and organizations. And right now, there's not a whole lot of proof of that. Although we in the field know —
JM: Right.
DD: — there's a whole bunch of new jobs available, there's a whole bunch of people looking for accessibility professionals.
RS: Right.
DD: — but it needs to be more on a — on a larger scale.
JM: Right. Plenty of people don't even know what the word "accessibility" means - * in our context.
DD: Right.
RS: That's right. That's exactly right.
DD: And they won't change the curriculum unless there's job opportunities for people because that's just time. They get X amount of hours, and they need to fill those teaching hours with curriculum that is for students to get out into the work force.
JM: Do you think there's a need to get the word out as far as the accessibility jobs that are available, sharing that information?
RS: Absolutely. Yeah.
DD: Absolutely. We want to —
RS: It's not well understood today.
DD: We want to — we want to launch — at some point in time in the near future, we'll be launching a job board —
JM: Mm-hmm.
DD: — on our website. It's not available yet. And — as well as offering events and supporting other events like this. You know, we've come here, and we're — we want to be — be around and at events. And then we want to be out in the mainstream arena so that professionals around the globe doing digital work and technology work —
JM: Mm-hmm.
DD: — that they know we exist so they can come to this organization to get what they need to build accessibility into their — their world.
JM: Sure. When it comes to the founding of the organization, where's the — the funding coming for this initially? From some of the founders, or how did that —
RS: Yeah, great question. Yeah, so we have 29 founding members from about 6 countries, I think.
JM: Wow.
RS: And so — and they span a number of industries, and — and some are government, some are private sectors, some are non-profit. And so yeah, they actually have — all of those organizations have provided the start-up funding for this; and so at some point, then, we'll actually get to a self-sustaining model based on —
JM: The memberships and — right.
RS: — memberships and — yeah, events, etc.
DD: Activities, mm-hmm.
RS: Certifications and stuff.
JM: Absolutely.
RS: So — yeah, so it's all been bank-rolled, so to speak, by those 29 organizations.
JM: Okay. If people want to get more information — you did give the website, but why don't you go ahead and give that and any other contact information as far as getting ahold of you guys.
DD: The website is AccessibilityAssociation.org; and right on the website, you can sign up to become a member and join in. And we have many more features of both our website and other — other sites that we'll be rolling out in the near future. You know, we are constantly aware of — of the challenge and the needs that exist, and we want to hear from folks. We want to hear them give feedback and — on the areas that are important to them, but also to find out, you know, what more would they like to see of our organization as well.
RS: And our — we're also on Twitter. Our Twitter handle is @iaaporg.
JM: All right.
RS: Yeah.
JM: David, Rob, thank you so much.
RS: Yeah, our pleasure.
JM: Look forward to following the developments.
DD: J.J., thank you.
RS: Yeah, thanks for the time.
Blind Bargains is your home for the latest assistive technology news and reviews. Visit us at BlindBargains.com, or follow @blindbargains on Twitter for the inside scoop.
This has been another Blind Bargains audio podcast. Visit BlindBargains.com for the latest deals, news, and exclusive content. This podcast may not be retransmitted, sold, or reproduced without the express, written permission of ATGuys. Copyright 2014.
Listen to the File
File size: 14.5MB
Length: 15:49
- Download the file
- Listen using our Enhanced Accessible Web Player
- Download our Blind Bargains Apps to listen from your phone or tablet
Check out our audio index for more exclusive content
Blind Bargains Audio RSS Feed
This content is the property of Blind Bargains and may not be redistributed without permission. If you wish to link to this content, please do not link to the audio files directly.
Category: ResourcesNo one has commented on this post.
You must be logged in to post comments.
Or Forgot username or password?
Register for free
J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
