A key player in the successful implementation of a digital accessibility strategy can be an ‘accessibility champion’ – someone who can lead accessibility initiatives, provide expert input into decisions, and design and develop processes that help an organisation embed accessibility into its practices and culture. This role can originate in web development, web design, content management or communications departments, but the key is that an accessibility champion should undertake foundation-level training in accessibility compliance.
To meet this need, Media Access Australia has been running its Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility in partnership with the University of South Australia since 2011. It is Australia’s only university-accredited course for web professionals.
The course is provided in an online format with formal assessments, practical exercises and interaction with the teaching staff and other students. As the course is run via distance learning, it requires approximately three hours of study per week for a period of six weeks.
The course teaches core skills in an experience-rich environment:
- To help gain an understanding of both the principles and techniques needed to achieve accessibility compliance.
- Provides hands-on experience of how people with various disabilities access the web.
- Facilitates opportunities to connect and share with fellow students from Australia and internationally in similar roles facing similar challenges, and this continues after course completion through a dedicated Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility alumni group on LinkedIn.
- Enhances skills learning through specialist lectures and completing individual and group practical assessments.
- Ensures you are learning the most up-to-date and practically relevant information about international best practice.
The course is led by Dr Scott Hollier, an international expert on web and digital accessibility. Dr Hollier is also Media Access Australia’s representative on the specialist committees for the W3C, the international standards body for the World Wide Web.
The course is highly rated by the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility alumni who recognise its practical focus, relevance to accessibility benchmark standards such as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, National Transition Strategy (NTS) , the Federal Government’s newly updated Digital Service Standard or with Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Section 5).
The next course is running from 10 August. For more information, student testimonials and to enrol, visit the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility course page.