I love helping my web accessibility colleagues to find new opportunities, so I spent a lot of time reviewing the job descriptions for accessibility roles. The increasing requirements of these roles are both interesting and somewhat concerning.
On the positive side, I appreciate that organizations are recognizing that accessibility goes beyond running automated scans of websites. Roles today include knowledge of accessibility standards, assistive technologies, accessibility testing, front-end development, UX, design systems, training and collaborating with people with disabilities. This demonstrates an appreciation for the role of accessibility across the product lifecycle.
But lately, I’ve noticed that some of the job descriptions for these positions contain responsibilities from multiple positions. One person is expected to:
✅ Audit websites, PDFs, mobile apps, and multimedia.
✅ Know WCAG, EN 301 549, Section 508, and the ADA inside out.
✅ Build accessible React applications.
✅ Understand HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ARIA, accessibility APIs, and design systems.
✅ Test with NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack, keyboard navigation, and automated tools.
✅ Train designers, developers, QA teams, and product managers.
✅ Work directly with people with disabilities.
✅ Define accessibility strategy, influence leadership, create documentation, and even contribute to standards.
That is an impressive skill set for one person. Nevertheless, such a skill set is an enormous expectation of one person to master.
Accessibility is multidisciplinary in its approach. While it’s good to have specialists with a broad range of knowledge within that area, long-term success can only be achieved by having teams of people with different responsibilities that work together to ensure the creation of accessible experiences.
When it comes to hiring and managing web development teams, it is needed for companies to consider accessibility in their hiring processes and management practices. Accessibility refers to the process of making digital products accessible and usable for people with disabilities. By considering accessibility in hiring and managing teams, companies can ensure that their digital products are more inclusive and usable for all users. This can also help to reduce the costs of compliance with accessibility regulations and improve the user experience for all customers.
Perhaps the most relevant question to the discussion of accessibility in the workplace is not “How do we find the perfect accessibility specialist?”, but instead “How do we build teams that make accessibility everyone’s responsibility?”.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Have you noticed that the role of accessibility roles within organizations has become more broad over the last few years?
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