Digital Accessibility Specialist

SEEKING A DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY SPECIALIST FOR MY CLIENT IN BOSTON. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE ONSITE 3 DAYS/WEEK AT THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. PLEASE APPLY IF YOUR SKILLS ALIGN WITH THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED WITHIN THE BELOW JOB DESCRIPTION!

Northeastern requires a Digital Accessibility Specialist contractor to assist with providing equitable access to digital learning for all students. This position will proactively audit and remediate digital content, train faculty and staff on accessible design practices, and establish sustainable accessibility workflows across the university.

This investment supports Northeastern's commitment to inclusive education, reduces barriers for students with disabilities, and positions us as a leader in digital accessibility among peer institutions. The specialist will work collaboratively with the Digital Solutions Team, content creators, and IT teams to help build accessibility into our processes from the start, rather than retrofitting later. This proactive approach is both more effective pedagogically and more cost-efficient operationally.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to track and deliver on multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to prioritize appropriately and deliver reports in a timely manner

• Experience assessing and reporting against WCAG 2.1 (AA) and similar standards
• Working knowledge of remediation techniques used for web and digital documents
• Generate high-quality deliverables independently

• Interview with Digital Accessibility Specialist, Akira Fujita (c.fujita)
• Interview with Digital Solutions Manager (Caryl)

• JAWS/NVDA (Windows) & Voiceover (Mac)
• Chrome dev tools/Lighthouse, Axe Dev Tools, ARC Toolkit or similar
• Automated Scanning/Crawling tools
  • Siteimprove
  • Level Access (Platform)
  • WAVE
• Microsoft 365/Office apps
• Adobe Acrobat (Pro)
• Working knowledge of HTML(5), CSS, and (WAI) ARIA
• Jira, Dev Ops or similar tracking tools (preferred but not required)

• Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) - International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
• Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) (IAAP)
• Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) (IAAP)
• Trusted Tester (US Department of Homeland Security)

The Digital Accessibility Specialist Contractor will serve as one of the university's digital accessibility experts and broadly support accessibility awareness and practice among members of the university community. As a member of the university's digital solutions team and overall university function, and in conjunction with ITS and university peers, this role will assist the current Digital Accessibility Specialist to develop and deliver awareness campaigns and vendor training sessions;

support the work of ITS colleagues and university partners with regard to accessibility considerations and best practices; assist with accessibility audits and guide remediation and improvement efforts; contribute as a member to a community of practice with university peers and partners; respond to accessibility requests, inquiries, and incidents.

The specialist will support the Digital Solutions manager and the digital accessibility specialist, in ensuring the university is in compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements. They will be part of a team consisting of staff within ITS who, collectively, are responsible for executing a plan of ongoing assessment, remediation, outreach, consulting, training, and support.

• Strong knowledge of WCAG standards, Section 504, and ADA compliance requirements
• Proficiency with assistive technology and accessibility testing tools (WAVE, axe Dev Tools, JAWS, NVDA, Zoom Text, etc.)
• Experience auditing and remediating digital content including websites, web-apps, mobile-apps, PDFs, presentations, and video content
• Familiarity with HTML/CSS and ability to identify accessibility issues in code
• Understanding of assistive technologies and how users with disabilities interact with digital content
• Experience with Learning Management Systems (Canvas preferred) and educational technology platforms and systems

• Ability to hit the ground running with minimal onboarding
• Strong training and consultation skills with ability to educate faculty and staff on accessible design and coding principles
• Experience developing accessibility documentation, guidelines, and training materials that can be used after contract ends
• Efficient project management with focus on tracking and high-impact deliverables
• Strong collaboration skills to work with content creators, developers, and stakeholders across the university
• Detail-oriented approach with ability to manage multiple audits and remediation projects simultaneously

Looking for a self-starter who can work independently, prioritize effectively, and deliver measurable results. They should be skilled at knowledge…