You have been working with web accessibility for a while but are not sure what the next steps are? How to prove to your employer that you actually have knowledge and skills in the area? Are there any courses for advanced topics? How to grow your personal brand?

These are some of the questions I have been asking myself recently. The answer for me is IAAP Certification. Being certified as an accessibility professional is very different from having certificates of completion from accessibility courses under your belt. Being certified as an accessibility professional shows your commitment to the accessibility profession, industry, and community.

There are different types of accessibility certifications:

• CPACC ( Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies)

CPACC is a foundational certification, representing broad, cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge about accessibility.

• WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist)

WAS certification assesses web accessibility competence.

• CPABE (Certified Professional in Accessible Built Environments)

CPABE recognizes professionals who have acquired the knowledge and skills to implement built environment accessibility.

• ADS (Accessible Document Specialist)

ADS is intended for accessibility professionals who have the ability to create accessible electronic documents.

The certification exams differ for each of the certifications and can be completed online.

IAAP offers study materials to prepare for the exam (e.g. Body of knowledge for WAS ). However, these materials should be used only as a guide for what areas should participants have knowledge in. Self-study is highly recommended. Some of the additional resources can be found in my article about web accessibility resources.

This year, IAAP offers drop-in information sessions about the certification. I participated in one of them and not only I got all the information I needed but I was also leaving amazed how accessible the presentation itself was. Staying accessible while screen sharing takes effort!

Once certified, professionals need to participate in accessibility initiatives (or conferences, knowledge sharing efforts, etc.) in order to maintain the certification. This is the part that is very different from obtaining a one-time accessibility certificate from a course. You are required to deepen your knowledge and share it to show your continued interest in the community.

I have been looking into deepening my accessibility knowledge for a while now and getting certified seems like the right way to go. I am hoping to obtain my professional certification this year.