Digital Accessibility Strategist and Partnership Lead Resume San Francisco, CA - Hire IT People

SUMMARY

Executive Leader and Strategic a11y in Digital Accessibility Compliance, Remediation, Program Management, Evangelism, and Training
In - depth knowledge of accepted accessibility standards (ex: WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, WAI-ARIA, Section 508), patterns, best practices, and testing methodologies
Extensive experience implementing assistive technologies and testing methodologies (including but not limited to screen readers, magnifiers, alternative inputs, gestures zoom text, and keyboard-alone operation)
Superior evangelist with extensive scope of responsibility overseeing teams with proven success and optimal results in the establishment, delivery and ongoing oversight of content accessibility
Superior expertise launching and managing superior digital customer experiences in the development, adoption, and enforcement of accessibility compliance policies, procedures, and standards
Exceptional experience implementing enterprise-wide change management in digital accessibility - communicating progress, status, and requirements
Superior evangelist with extensive scope of responsibility overseeing teams with proven success and optimal results in the establishment, delivery and ongoing oversight of content accessibility
Critical awareness for building of consensus and enthusiasm among stakeholders at all levels
Intuitive ability to provide collaborative experiences around digital accessibility through understanding of requirements, development tools, trends, technologies, resource usage, and best practices in enterprise and high-growth environments

Areas of Expertise

Knowledge of accessibility laws and guidelines including but not limited to Section 508 (and WCAG 2.0), WCAG 2.1, Section 255 of Telecommunications Act, and 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)
Experience developing applications and websites that are Accessible using technologies such as HTML5, ARIA, and JavaScript
Proficiency operating assistive technologies (AT) including but not limited to JAWS®, NVDA, VoiceOver, Talkback, Narrator, Window-Eyes, ZoomText, MAGic®, Dragon® and other software
Facilitating accessibility testing (and usability testing) with or without people with disabilities using the following methodologies: visual analysis; screen reader reviews; color sampling; keyboard only; gesture only; and code reviews
Understanding of PDF Accessibility, PDF/UA requirements, and document management
Conducting Comprehensive Gap Analysis, Cross-Platform Testing (manual and automated), and Remediation of Accessibility Issues
Policy Development, Project Management, and Implementation Expertise in Digital Accessibility
Assessment of existing accessibility management programs and level of maturity
Development and execution of policies and procedures to validate content against existing accessibility laws and technical guidelines
Implementation of goals and action plans accessibility requirements for customer-facing applications and user interfaces
Change Management, Performance Management, and Total Quality Management through Accessibility Test Planning, Test Outlining, Testing Metrics, and Defect Management
Project Planning and Execution of Accessibility Initiatives through Agile development practices, Scrum Framework, and In corporation of Accessibility into SCRUM
Negotiation, Persuasion, and Communication of Accessibility Governance and Attainment of Objectives
Guidance and Training Activities in Digital Accessibility
Serving as Accessibility technical subject matter authority for user interface experiences, monitoring industry trends to identify best practices
Collaborating with accessibility, design, development, and usability specialists to establish and share standards and policies
Coaching and guiding teams through manual and automated Accessibility testing and remediation techniques and methods
Partnering with multiple engineering teams to identify the right support needed to drive accessibility efforts
Reviewing accessibility issue bug reports and manage bug severity and user impact
Prioritize testing schedules and manage progress across bug remediation efforts
Resource Creation and Dissemination
Technical Writing including specific experience authoring business requirements, use cases, user stories, process flow diagrams and detailed functional specifications
Continuous Improvement of Accessibility Operational Processes/Standards
Development of Educational Resources for Accessibility (ex: design library, resource guides, etc.)

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Computer Languages: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, .NET, IIS, Apache

Assistive Technologies: JAWS, NVDA, Voiceover, Talkback (Android), Dragon Naturally Speaking, ZoomText

Accessibility Testing Technologies and Frameworks: a11y Testing Platform, Selenium, aXe, Deque tools, PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC3), Compliance Sherriff

Content Management Systems and Frameworks: Adobe Experience Manager, Drupal, WordPress, ModX

Frameworks: Twitter Bootstrap, Foundation, 960 Grid System, Less Framework, Skeleton, jQuery, Modernizer, Angular

Software Expertise: Adobe Creative Cloud (includes Adobe Creative Suite CS (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, Flash), Adobe Premiere (video editing), After Effects (visual effects)), Adobe Connect, Adobe Captivate, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Additional Skills: User Interface Design, Responsive Web Design, Closed Captioning, Visual Effects Design, Audio Engineering, Storyboarding, Social Media Strategy and Implementation, Technical Writing, ADA Compliance, Classroom Training and Development, Educational Policy Development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Digital Accessibility Strategist and Partnership Lead

Confidential - San Francisco, CA

Responsibilities:

Develop practices and procedures to validate content against Section 508 and/or W3C WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines
Lead initiatives for accessibility compliance process for software across internal applications - design, development, and quality assurance teams
Provide guidance to teams of accessibility testing engineers to sustain product accessibility compliance
Collaborate with senior-level executives and key stakeholders to establish and agree upon long-term strategies for accessibility compliance
Cooperate with external accessibility partners with product accessibility issues
Produce custom reports regarding accessibility and develop extensive reporting materials for accessibility

Technologies Used: Voiceover, NVDA, JAWS, Voiceover, Talkback, aXe, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Colour Contrast Analyzer, Google Docs

Digital Accessibility Training Lead and Senior Accessibility SME

Confidential - Sacramento, CA

Responsibilities:

Serve as Chief Accessibility SME and accessibility resource to digital and automation testing teams
Lead team of 508 specialists in testing and remediation of web pages and PDF documents
Develop policies and procedures to validate content against Section 508 and/or W3C WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines
Provide training to junior level accessibility personnel and nontechnical staff which has been tailored to Confidential critical role in remediation of digital accessibility issues
Collaborate with internal teams for compliance and training such as Product, Engineering, Design, and QA
Assist in conducting testing for WCAG 2.0 and Section 508 conformance
Teach and embed accessibility best practices into design, development and testing teams
Shepherd intensive ‘working sessions’ with accessibility testers and nontechnical personnel
Evaluate external vendor for possible work in Accessibility compliance
Produce custom reports regarding accessibility and develop extensive reporting materials for accessibility
Create robust educational resources regarding accessibility (including but not limited to courseware, supportive documents, ‘cheat sheets’, and training manuals) for Confidential staff
Provide training and lead testing of documents for conformance with PDF/UA standard
Created custom reporting tools for WCAG 2.0 testing and for testing PDFs against Matterhorn Protocol (for PDF/UA)

Technologies Used: Voiceover, NVDA, JAWS, Voiceover, Talkback, aXe, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Colour Contrast Analyzer, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Adobe Acrobat DC Pro, PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC3)

Senior Accessibility SME

Confidential - Newark, NJ

Responsibilities:

Managed and mentored several offshore teams of Accessibility consultants
Served as Senior Testing Lead while conducting sprint, regression, and integration testing
Provided engineering team with recommended solutions on how to remediate accessibility issues
Launched and managed the development, adoption, and enforcement of accessibility compliance policies, procedures, and standards (resulting in Horizon’s initial Web Accessibility Policy)
Conducted analysis, review wireframes and evaluate visual designs for WCAG 2.0 AA compliance
Incorporated best practices for accessibility into Horizon’s existing business processes
Defined new processes which in corporate accessibility conformance into both Agile and Waterfall methodologies - evaluating content and development against WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria
Directed gap analysis, discovery, and remediation efforts for Horizon’s key business sites (evaluating and remediating content and development against WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria)
Shepherded intensive ‘working sessions’ with designers, developers, and implementation personnel for reformation of accessibility issues
Developed custom training modules, governance models, and reference materials for Horizon staff in order to support efforts to design, develop, and implement accessible content
Constructed, revised, and delivered ‘in-person’ intensive workshops for Horizon staff on accessibility conformance, accessibility testing, methodologies for evaluation of electronic media, and enhancement of key business processes for conformance with accessibility guidelines
Established consistent procedures for testing, analysis, and remediation of accessibility issues
Created robust educational resources regarding accessibility (including but not limited to courseware, supportive documents, ‘cheat sheets’, and the like) for Horizon staff
Consulted with key stakeholders across the company (including but not limited to Enterprise Communications, Vendor Management and Procurement, Digital Strategy, Legal and Compliance, SQA)

Technologies Used: Voiceover, NVDA, JAWS, Voiceover, Talkback, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Colour Contrast Analyzer, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Adobe Acrobat

Senior Accessibility SME