[nfbcs] FW: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

Wed Apr 9 17:44:38 UTC 2014

Creating a meaningful certification exam would be tough.  On the one
hand, you could easily test someone's knowledge of ARIA.  However
there's a lot more to doing accessibility right than just knowing the
standards.  Good accessibility is a lot like good design.  You can
follow all the rules, and still get it totally wrong.

I don't buy the argument that a bad certification won't be required by
employers because it's bad.  If there is a certification, employers
will require it, period.  The reason is simply that employers are in
no position to make that determination, and they have a terrible track
record when it comes to things like this.  Yes, I'm generalizing, but
with good reason.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Aaron

On 4/9/14, Bryan Schulz <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 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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