[nfbcs] FW: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

Wed Apr 9 16:19:41 UTC 2014

Good morning Everyone,

I think this is a very interesting topic. It sure would be nice if some of us could be employed in the future in the accessibility arina. I thought some of you might like to chime in on what a certification might look like.

Susie Stanzel

From: Paul Bohman [mailto:paul.bohman at deque.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 10:07 AM
To: David Hilbert Poehlman
Cc: J. Albert Bowden; W3C WAI ig
Subject: Re: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

In some ways, the concern that employers will use the lack of certification "against you" might be a valid concern under some circumstances. But here's how I see it playing out:
It will take time to develop, test, and deploy the certification assessment and process. Let's say it takes 2 years to do that. That's just a guess, not based on any actual timelines, but I know that it will take a long time and a lot of work. In the meantime, there is no certification option at all, so no one is going to require it.
When the certification debuts, most employers are not going to immediately require it, simply because certification is new. It will take time for the certification to gain traction, and most of that traction will depend on whether people in the field feel that the certification is valuable: whether or not the certification is a good measurement of a person's accessibility skills. If we create a certification that isn't a valid measurement, then it will mean nothing, and no one will require it, and the certification itself will eventually fail. Obviously, we don't want to do that. We want to create a valid certification that people in the field respect. Certification will never be a substitute for real world experience, but it can be a good benchmark of at least some kinds of skills.
Assuming that the certification gains respect, employers will begin to ask for it in job applications, but most likely they won't require it. They'll say something like "IAAP certification or equivalent experience." Maybe 5 or 10 years or so after certification is introduced some employers will start to require it, and most other employers will continue to accept experience as a substitute for certification.
In the meantime, those who want to improve their marketability as job applicants will likely begin to take the certification exam as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. Mostly these will be people new to the field, as the seasoned experts will point to their resume instead of their certification. Those who are new to the field will have to study for the exam to pass it. It will be a somewhat challenging process, and the process will bring them up to speed and make them better fit for employment. It will improve the pool of applicants. And that's good for everybody.
That's how I see things playing out.

Paul Bohman, PhD
Director of Training
Deque Systems, Inc
www.deque.com<http://www.deque.com>
703-225-0380, ext.121

On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 10:35 AM, David Hilbert Poehlman <poehlman1 at comcast.net<mailto:poehlman1 at comcast.net>> wrote:
Employers will use the lack of certification against us in the field

--
Jonnie Appleseed
with his
Hands-On Technolog(eye)s
touching the internet
Reducing technologeyes' disabilities
one byte at a time

On Apr 9, 2014, at 10:02, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman at deque.com<mailto:paul.bohman at deque.com>> wrote:
David, tell me what you mean about this posing a problem for employment. The intent is actually the opposite. Certification can open up new areas for employment. But tell us what you're thinking here, so I know what your concerns are.

Paul Bohman, PhD
Director of Training
Deque Systems, Inc
www.deque.com<http://www.deque.com>
703-225-0380, ext.121<tel:703-225-0380%2C%20ext.121>

On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 3:07 AM, David Hilbert Poehlman <poehlman1 at comcast.net<mailto:poehlman1 at comcast.net>> wrote:
I can see how this might pose problems for people getting employed in the accessibility field

--
Jonnie Appleseed
with his
Hands-On Technolog(eye)s
touching the internet
Reducing technologeyes' disabilities
one byte at a time

On Apr 8, 2014, at 19:55, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman at deque.com<mailto:paul.bohman at deque.com>> wrote:
Yes, as with nearly all professional certifications, a fee will be associated with IAAP certification, though the amount of the fee has not yet been set.
The IAAP needs to financially support its own activities in order to ensure the long-term viability of the IAAP itself. And members of the IAAP are aware that certification costs need to be reasonable. We'll have to balance both of those needs when we set the price.

Paul Bohman, PhD
Director of Training
Deque Systems, Inc
www.deque.com<http://www.deque.com>
703-225-0380, ext.121<tel:703-225-0380%2C%20ext.121>

On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 7:47 PM, J. Albert Bowden <jalbertbowden at gmail.com<mailto:jalbertbowden at gmail.com>> wrote:
does it cost money to get certified?

On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 1:15 PM, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman at deque.com<mailto:paul.bohman at deque.com>> wrote:
Cross posted request for feedback:

The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) needs your feedback on our roadmap for accessibility certification. Here is the roadmap as it stands now:
http://www.accessibilityassociation.org/content.asp?contentid=163
We are still in the early stages of designing the certification, so your feedback is most valuable now, before we commit to a certain path.
Here are some questions to consider as you read the roadmap:

  1.  What do you think of the roadmap overall?
  2.  What would you do to improve our roadmap?
  3.  What do you think of the levels of certification outlined in the roadmap?
  4.  Are there any broad Knowledge Domains and Roles that we have left off that should be included?
  5.  Do you like our list of Digital Accessibility areas of certification? Should we add to or subtract from this list? (For example, one person commented that we should add gaming to the list.)
  6.  Do you like the idea of certifying for these areas separately, in a modular approach as we have done? (See the section on Referencing IAAP Credentials for an explanation of how this might work)
  7.  Do you like the 3 year period for certification? Would you make it shorter (2 years) or longer (5 years)?
  8.  What kind of certification assessment would you create? Keep in mind that it has to be a valid and meaningful test of the right kind of competencies, it must be challenging enough that novices could not pass it without first studying or gaining experience,  it must be scalable (not too burdensome to administer or grade/score the assessment), and translatable into other languages.
  9.  Once certification becomes available, do you think you would go through the process to become certified? Why or why not?
  10. What else should we consider as we move forward?

To give feedback, you can reply directly to this email, or you can send an email to the certification committee: CC at accessibilityassociation.org<mailto:CC at accessibilityassociation.org>

Paul Bohman, PhD
Chair, IAAP Certification Committee
Director of Training
Deque Systems, Inc
www.deque.com<http://www.deque.com>
703-225-0380, ext.121<tel:703-225-0380%2C%20ext.121>

--
J. Albert Bowden II

jalbertbowden at gmail.com<mailto:jalbertbowden at gmail.com>

http://bowdenweb.com/

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