Text: The profession of digital accessibility

The government guidance around digital accessibility appears to be primarily focused around the web regulations (Ref), but in strategies it has been recognised that due to the legal requirements and the scale of delivering accessible services under this legislation, the skills and need for that professional field need addressing.

Several government strategies and reports acknowledge the skills gap crisis in this area (Refs) and the need to plan for it appropriately both in education and in the workplace.

An action to create an accessibility profession to help specifically address the scope and demand for delivering accessible digital services was presented in the National Disability Strategy (Ref). As a result, in August 2022 the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), the Crown Commercial Service, and the Home Office created the role of Accessibility Specialist (Ref) that sits with the CDDO content team of central government (Ref). The recommendation in the National Disability Strategy is to encourage more public sector organisations to formalise the role to properly resource their own delivery of accessible services (Ref p.91).

This has in turn opened up the need for professional accreditation now provided by the IAAP (Ref) and the development of a Level 4 Digital Accessibility Specialist apprenticeship to act as a learning and development pathway that formally feeds into the profession (Ref). 

However, in the U.K. this is the only progress so far in recognising this career pathway or the importance of the digital accessibility skill set in the workplace and beyond. This research study will aid the backfilling of skills right at the start of the educational journey, providing the early awareness for our next generation around the importance of accessible content in everyday society. It could also act as an introduction to prepare them for a future career aspiration.

 

https://findapprenticeshiptraining.apprenticeships.education.gov.uk/courses/643

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-specialist

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-data-and-technology-profession-capability-framework

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1006098/National-Disability-Strategy_web-accesible-pdf.pdf

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmsctech/270/270.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps

https://design-system.service.gov.uk/community/accessibility-strategy/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/government-digital-inclusion-strategy

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy/uk-digital-strategy


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