Digital Accessibility Specialist

Title: Digital Accessibility Specialist

Position Type: Contract role with possible extensions(6 months to begin with)

Location: 360 Huntington Avenue Boston MA 02115(hybrid 3 days onsite)

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.

Qualifications For Digital Accessibility Contractor At Northeastern University

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 used for web and digital documents
• Generate high-quality deliverables independently
  
  

Software Proficiency:

• JAWS/NVDA (Windows) & Voiceover (Mac)
• Chrome dev tools/Lighthouse, Axe DevTools, 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, DevOps or similar tracking tools (preferred but not required)
  
  
Certifications:


• 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.

Technical Requirements:


• Strong knowledge of WCAG standards, Section 504, and ADA compliance requirements
• Proficiency with assistive technology and accessibility testing tools (WAVE, axe DevTools, JAWS, NVDA, ZoomText, 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
  
  
Core Competencies:


• 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
  
  
Cultural Fit: 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.

24/7 business continuity:

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.

Other duties as required:

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


• Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Accessibility, Information Technology, Instructional Design, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience conducting accessibility audits and remediating digital content
• Knowledge of WCAG standards and ADA compliance requirements
• Proficiency with accessibility testing tools including WAVE, axe DevTools, Color Contrast Analyzer, and browser-based Developer Tools
• Experience with screen readers (JAWS, NVDA) and other assistive technologies (Dragon NaturallySpeaking, ZoomText, etc.)
• Ability to remediate PDF documents for accessibility using Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Proven track record curating training materials and delivering accessibility education resources to diverse audiences
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Experience creating documentation and resources for knowledge transfer
• Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
• Accessibility Auditing and Remediation
• Conduct accessibility audits of websites, course materials, applications and digital documents
• Remediate accessibility barriers in PDFs, presentations, spreadsheets, and multimedia
• Validate captions, code remediation, transcripts, and accessible media practices
• Training, Documentation, and Knowledge Transfer
• Develop and curate accessibility training resources and guidelines
• Create documentation and templates to support long-term accessibility efforts
• Contribute to awareness campaigns and vendor training
• Consultation, Collaboration, and Outreach
• Provide accessibility consultation to faculty, staff, developers and content creators
• Collaborate with ITS and university partners on digital accessibility awareness, and best practices
• Participate in accessibility communities of practice
• Accessibility Tools, Workflows, and Best Practices
• Utilize accessibility testing tools and assistive technologies
• Support scalable workflows for ongoing accessibility management
• Contribute to continuous improvement of accessibility practices and processes
  
  
as coverage for temporary work surges or staffing shortages, and performs other duties as assigned.


• Responsible for computer, peripheral, and printer, hardware troubleshooting and diagnostics and facilitating hardware repairs with HMS approved vendors.