Digital Accessibility Specialist

The Client is responsible for supporting the accessibility of online information and services of the Secretariat. We provide excellent customer service and sound guidance in support of clients’ public facing websites, intranet and other digital related content and information.
Staff provide recommendations based on best practices for content presentation and final review of content before posting. Staff expertise includes graphic design, UI/UX, writing and editing for the web, and accessibility best practices.
The department works closely with staff to ensure that we meet requirements and follow guidance, and with staff to help deliver effective information and online services for our employees and constituents.

Digital Accessibility Specialist position:
The Digital Accessibility Specialist is a contractor on the Digital Services team, serving as a subject matter expert on digital accessibility. They work closely with the Digital Accessibility Program Manager to maintain the accessibility of all services and information.
The incumbent will develop relationships with staff across to gain extensive institutional knowledge of department and its initiatives, as well as user behavior. This person will also work closely with content contributors, the Digital Services team, vendors, and other members of the IT staff to maintain standards for accessibility and usability.
Tasks require strong attention to detail and ability to work under tight deadlines to complete all work in a timely manner, following department standards and policies, to the satisfaction of the customer. The incumbent will manage multiple projects from concept through completion, adhering to schedules and budgets.

Key Responsibilities:
Subject matter expert on accessibility
Research industry best practices, standards and guidelines, and legislation, including, but not limited to, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Stay current with developments in digital accessibility and technology including policies, procedures, standards, and tools.
Develop digital accessibility resources and collaborate with Digital Services team members to build and maintain a robust knowledge repository.
Promote accessibility within the organization and advocate for accessibility as a vital part of the customer and employee experience.
Assist in creating a communication plan to inform employees of their role and responsibility for accessible digital content and services.
Accessibility Audits:
Lead the team providing audits of digital assets to meet the WCAG 2.1 A and AA standards. Includes reporting the audit findings and working with project teams on fixing issues identified in audit reports.
Advise internal teams on incorporating digital accessibility into their processes.
Maintain the department’s audit test plan to incorporate new tools and processes.
Oversee the tracking of current audits and archiving of past audits for reporting.
Assist the Digital Accessibility Program Manager in keeping the digital asset inventory up to date.
Standards and Guidelines:
Assist the Digital Accessibility Program Manager with efforts to establish and manage digital accessibility best practices within and to develop and maintain standards and policies that evolve along with the maturity of the digital accessibility program.
Identify and/or develop appropriate checkpoints to allow oversight and governance activities that ensure that digital content and services procured, designed, built, tested, and maintained by staff are meeting accessibility best practices, standards, and Commonwealth policies.
Anticipate problems and identify and evaluate potential sources of information to generate alternatives.
Required Experience:
Experience in applying the digital principles of accessibility, usability and user experience to handle the day-to-day management, editing and quality control of text, images, and other content on an organization's website and communications.
Knowledge and understanding of state and national accessibility laws and standards for digital resources including Title II of the ADA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requirements and Plain Language laws.
In-depth understanding of digital accessibility principles and standards to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 A and AA standards and regulations.
Experience conducting content/software/application audits using various testing software including the WAVE toolbar, ARC Toolkit, Accessibility Insights for Web, WebAIM Contrast Checker, and others. Experience testing with assistive technologies like NVDA, JAWS, Dragon Naturally Speaking and ZoomText.
Experience researching industry practices and ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts; to devise solutions to problems; and to prepare concise reports.
Skills in planning and facilitating meetings, working in teams, and group problem solving. Knowledge of the principles and practices of effective project leadership. Proven ability to build consensus and work effectively within a cross-departmental team.