[nfbcs] FW: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

Wed Apr 9 16:44:53 UTC 2014

hi,

anything for $500 or less instead of $15,000!
Bryan Schulz

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stanzel, Susan - FSA, Kansas City, MO" <Susan.Stanzel at kcc.usda.gov>
To: <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>; <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 11:19 AM
Subject: [nfbcs] FW: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

> 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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