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.

• Assist with providing equitable access to digital learning for all students.
• Proactively audit and remediate digital content.
• Train faculty and staff on accessible design practices.
• Establish sustainable accessibility workflows across the university.
• Collaborate with the Digital Solutions Team, content creators, and IT teams to build accessibility into processes from the start.
• Support the Digital Solutions Manager and the current Digital Accessibility Specialist in ensuring compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements.
• Participate in a team of ITS staff responsible for executing ongoing assessment, remediation, outreach, consulting, training, and support.
• Assist with accessibility audits, 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.

• Skills
  :
  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.
• Technical Skills
  :
  Experience assessing and reporting against WCAG 2.1 (AA) and similar standards; working knowledge of remediation techniques for web and digital documents; generate high-quality deliverables independently.
• Software Proficiency
  : JAWS/NVDA (Windows) & Voiceover (Mac);
  Chrome dev tools/Lighthouse, Axe Dev Tools, ARC Toolkit or similar; automated scanning/crawling tools (Siteimprove, Level Access, WAVE);
  Microsoft 365/Office apps;
  Adobe Acrobat (Pro); working knowledge of HTML5, CSS, and (WAI) ARIA;
  Jira, Dev Ops or similar tracking tools (preferred but not required).
• Certifications
  :
  Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC);
  Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS);
  Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA);
  Trusted Tester (US Department of Homeland Security).

• 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 transfer and creating resources that enable the team to continue accessibility work beyond the contract period.

This role may require occasional availability outside of traditional working hours to address urgent accessibility concerns, particularly during peak academic periods such as semester launches or high-priority audits.

This role requires flexibility to address emerging accessibility priorities as they arise during the contract period.

• Bachelor's degree in Accessibility, Information Technology, Instructional…