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Digital Accessibility Specialist

World Institute on Disability (WID)

Berkeley, CA,USA

This job is expired.

Job Opportunity: Digital Accessibility Specialist

About WID
The World Institute on Disability (WID) is dedicated to designing, building, and supporting community solutions by removing barriers to include people with disabilities. Our mission is to continuously advance the rights and opportunities of more than one billion people with disabilities on a global scale.

To build a more inclusive global society, WID:
• Helps assure that products and services are more accessible
• Promotes equity policies
• Provides consulting services
• Offers training and tools
• Supports emergency, disaster, and climate efforts

We have developed an expertise and are focusing on three specific areas that profoundly impact people with disabilities:
• Accessibility Solutions & Universal Design - supporting people with disabilities via disability-led surveys and focus groups, user experience testing, climate assessments and audits, training, and advisory services to drive better product and services design and accessible experiences for employees, clients, and customers.
• Community Inclusion - providing people with disabilities and their circles of support training, technical assistance, online tools and resources to make informed decisions about their benefits, housing, and employment options. WID also works to eliminate barriers to achieving the full inclusion of people with disabilities by addressing and influencing systems, policies, and tools.
• Emergencies, Disasters, and Climate Resilience - providing disability-inclusive emergency and disaster preparedness and resilience planning, training, consulting, and other programming to save lives and minimize negative impact.
The World Institute on Disability (WID) was established in 1983 as one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and continually led by people with disabilities. The Board of Directors and staff, over half of whom are people with disabilities, are respected national and global leaders in the disability rights field as well as in industry, government, and human services.

WID’s commitment to intersectionality and eliminating systemic oppression is integral to including the full spectrum of identities of people with disabilities, and to understanding the range of privilege, marginalization, and oppression that impact how disabled people are treated. This enables WID to bring a pan-disability, intersectional perspective to everything we do.

More information on WID’s programs, guiding principles, services, and resources can be found at www.wid.org.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Digital Accessibility Specialist reports to the Senior Director of Operations and Deputy Director and will work closely with the Accessibility and Universal Design team. This position is responsible for conducting UX testing that has an emphasis on digital assets, products, and interfaces as well as assisting with in-person and virtual event accessibility. This position requires a demonstrated level of understanding of accessibility and assistive technology and having a unique skillset of problem-solving, multitasking, strong communication, and working as part of a team with fast turnarounds.

HOURS: 40 hours per week

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Note that this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all the activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

User Experience
• Manage user experience (UX) testing and focus groups program cycles:
o Recruit participants for usability sessions via our database or by creating survey screeners when applicable.
o Conduct ongoing communications with participants and clients about the project, as needed.
o Proctor usability sessions, including managing the appropriate web-conferencing software, cameras, smartphones, client’s products, assistive technology, or other needed on-site technology.
o Have the ability to complete repetitive tasks and have the patience to clearly explain process steps to user testers.
o Have the ability to observe how well accessible technology works during testing sessions and understand how its functioning can contribute to users struggling through sessions.
o Ensure testers are paid by preparing payment requests and collecting other paperwork from participants.
o Document research findings in a comprehensive report for WID’s internal and external audiences.
• Assist in keeping WID’s user tester database accurate:
o Maintain and update the online survey for recruiting testing participants.
o Maintain and update the internal Quickbase database of user testers and their relevant skill sets and testing abilities.
• Conduct internal assessments of digital materials (Office and Adobe Suite), videos, and web pages to identify accessibility issues for compliance with accessibility standards and regulations.
• Write reports to meet quick turnaround times.
• Incorporate accessibility, equity, and human/computer interaction when suggesting potential solutions for accessibility barriers based on existing guidelines, regulations, and requirements.
• Conduct additional research that goes beyond existing guidelines and regulations, informing new standards and novel experiences.
• Have experience working with multiple research methodologies, including both qualitative (e.g., ethnographic, usability, interview) and quantitative (e.g., survey-based, statistical) methods.
o Ability to create surveys with the appropriate questions, flow, length, and depth to garner data needed.
o Ability to analyze survey data and create a comprehensive report on findings.


In-Person and Teleconference Technical and Audio Visual (A/V) Work
Responsibilities include working with technical teams to understand the technical needs of assistive technologies, reviewing bids with multiple vendors for the same event, and serving as a technical assistance contact when needed.
• In-person conference support:
o Responsibilities may include:
 Operate computers, projectors, or other audiovisual equipment in conjunction with video teleconferencing services.
 Schedule video teleconferencing sessions and train personnel in the operation of video teleconferencing equipment.
o Travel to be the on-site contact to work with A/V teams to overlay captions on the main screens or on smaller screens when applicable.
o Manage on-site contractors such as ASL interpreters and sighted guide service providers.
• Teleconference and webinar support:
o Aid staff or clients by conducting video teleconference (VTC) sessions, which may include conference preparation, and monitoring VTC equipment and system performance.
o Work with teams to secure and include ASL interpretation into their virtual events.
o Work with teams to secure and include captioning providers in their virtual events.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• 3+ years prior experience in digital accessibility.
• Experience working with vendors on development and testing for accessibility.
• Knowledge of digital accessibility standards, guidelines, and regulations:
o Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (VPAT, EN 301 549, ETSI TR 102 612, Human Factors data sources)
o Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
o Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Excellent people (or soft) skills, including coaching skills to motivate individuals who have become so frustrated at doing a certain task that they are about to give up and/or want nothing more than to pack up and leave.
• Professional writing and oral communication skills.
• Strong diplomatic communication skills, with the ability to maintain working relationships across a geographically dispersed organization.
• Friendly, conscientious, organized, detail-oriented, punctual.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Quick learner with the ability to problem-solve.
• Experience using MS Office Suite, Dropbox, Zoom, Alchemer (formerly Survey Gizmo), Google Apps suite, and the Internet.
• Ability to travel for project-related assignments, and the ability to work remotely and also report in-person to various locations, as needed.
• Stamina for conducting long hours of back-to-back testing sessions.

PREFERENCES:
• Experience in database management.
• Experience with technical report writing, particularly explaining complex information in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Experience creating PowerPoint and other visual presentations of complex data.
• Experience with disability (lived experience preferred) or highly motivated to learn about the independent living philosophy and support for the larger disability rights and social justice movement.
• Experience translating accessibility & equity-related insights into actionable change.
• Experience with a range of multi-modal interaction methods (speech, touch, motion, etc.)

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: Senior Director of Operations & Deputy Director
STATUS: Exempt, full-time, generous benefits package
COMPENSATION: $50,000 - $60,000
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, writing sample, and references to the World Institute on Disability via EMAIL to: HR@wid.org (WID acknowledges receipt of applications by email only)
Application Deadline: May 20, 2022
Proposed Start Date: June 21, 2022
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: Send reasonable accommodation requests for the application/interview process to HR@wid.org.

TELEWORK: WID is interested in remote candidates; national applicants are encouraged.

The World Institute on Disability is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. Individuals will not be discriminated against regardless of race, ethnicity, religion (creed), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability or veteran status, and other personal characteristics.

Salary Range: $50000 - $60000

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