Situation
As part of the Association’s launch, the IAAP’s board wanted to create its first globally offered training for its members, which they could use as a resource for training their own companies, organizations and teams about accessibility and the millions of people who depend on it.
8 global technology companies, including Microsoft, IBM and Adobe, offered their own accessibility training as a resource. But no one had a clear vision for how those sources should be used, or what thousands of members around the world would need from the training.
Task
Microsoft’s Chief Accessibility Officer appointed me his representative to lead the team of volunteers tasked with unraveling this puzzle. I started by analyzing the source training offered by IAAP members, and charted the similarities, themes and differences offered by each.
I also led discussions with leaders of IAAP companies about what needs they had in educating their employees and customers about accessibility.
I used this information to create a beginning framework for the course, using the source training from other companies for 40% of the total course. I then worked with subject matter experts at Microsoft and other partner companies, and wrote the remaining curriculum.
FInally, I led several rounds of summative evaluation with 40+ accessibility experts from around the world in order to determine how successful the course was as a member product.
Achievements and Results
The feedback from expert members was both filled with praise as well as very detailed constructive criticism. The course’s 4th revision earned the approval of our many reviewers and the IAAP’s boad. We offered it for wide consumption to thousands of members as the IAAP’s first global training resource.