Accessibility Specialist III

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

4d•$5,798 - $7,653•Hybrid

About The Position

The Electronic Information Resources (EIR) Accessibility Specialist III performs highly complex (senior level) accessibility work which involves creating digital content and other forms of EIR. The position also includes testing and evaluating all electornic content which includes: web pages, mobile applications, and software interfaces, to ensure they meet accessibility standards. Duties include planning and leading complex website and web application testing projects; analyzing and remediating all types of electronic documents to eliminate accessibility and structural defects; preparing and presenting reports of results, including recommendations for remediation and HTML code examples; and creating and delivering technical training for program, administrative and web/application development staff on accessibility for the content and applications that they create. The position provides training and coaching for Accessibility Specialists. Serves as an Accessibility Subject Matter Expert (SME) for EIR purchases including review of RFP/RFO documentation to ensure compliance with TAC 213 and analysis of vendor provided accessibility conformance reports (VPAT). Contributes to team leadership by working with manager to establish goals, track team performance and improve workflow and processes. Works under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. Leads complex testing and training development projects.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
Plus a minimum of three years of full-time experience in EIR including the development, implementation or interpretation of policies and procedures in a public and private agency.
Knowledge of accessibility guidelines, standards, rules and laws relating to accessibility for electronic information resources for people with disabilities including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA), Texas Government Code Section 2054.460, and Texas Administrative Code Chapters 206 and 213.
Expert level knowledge of MS Office and Adobe Acrobat Professional with the ability to train others in using these authoring tools to produce accessible documents and forms.
Knowledge of HTML and PDF tag structures, attributes and properties relating to accessibility.
Skill in the use of a computer and applicable software, such as Microsoft Office 365.
Ability to analyze and solve complex and difficult problems of accessibility; to use various accessibility applications; to develop effective data collection tools such as surveys, questionnaires, and interviews; and to communicate effectively.
Perform accessibility testing using manual and tool assisted methods, including identifying the relevant applicable accessibility success criterium and/or best practices.
Independently conduct research and present findings on technical topics, including accessibility and coding standards, development and authoring tool sets, and user experience and user interface design.
Use MS Windows based workstations without a mouse, configure workstation accessibility features, and navigate documents, forms and web applications using assistive technology including screen reading and voice response software.
Work and communicate effectively with diverse teams including technical and non-technical staff, designers, developers, content authors, managers, purchasing staff, legal and executive leadership.
Write effectively and professionally about highly technical topics for technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to oversee and/or supervise the work of others.

Nice To Haves

Preferred 5 + years of experience.
One year of full-time experience may be substituted for each year (30 semester hours) of education.

Responsibilities

Analyzes and tests all information communication technology formats, including PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, websites, desktop applications, and mobile applications, to meet accessibility standards.
Uses a variety of automated and manual testing tools and techniques as well as assistive technologies to identify and evaluate accessibility compliance impact and conformance with the 55 WCAG Success Criterium.
Recommends changes to make content accessible and remediates accessibility issues.
Conducts research into accessibility documentation and best practices for authoring/development tools and platforms used by HHS/DSHS to support content authors, developers and designers.
Reviews vendor accessibility documentation for Hardware and Software to determine compliance level before purchase.
Works with the accessibility manager to develop and improve accessibility team processes and procedures.
Reviews accessibility exception requests with the Accessibility Manager.
Mentors accessibility specialist I and II staff and leads complex accessibility projects.
Provides coaching, guidance, training and technical support to junior accessibility specialists, document authors, content creators, and developers on remediation of EIR to meet accessibility compliance standards and improve accessibility across HHS and DSHS.
Leads formal accessibility training courses and implements industry best practices for accessibility services for digital content and Electronic Information Resources, such as brochures, flyers, webpages, documents, forms, and training materials and ensures compliance with all Federal, State, and agency procedures, policies, rules, and laws.
Creates reports that describe accessibility obstacles as well as provide technical guidance and recommendations to overcome obstacles.
Includes summary reports that specifically address any deficiencies in meeting each of the 55 WCAG 2.2 Success Criterium.
Provides detailed defect description identifying precisely where the error occurs, and why it fails the criterium and suggestions for resolving the defect includes code examples where appropriate.
Delivers testing results to internal customers and participates in follow-up discussions to develop a roadmap or plan to improve the accessibility and usability of agency resources.
Leads the development and delivery of instructional materials, courses, aids, and manuals to meet accessibility training needs.
Includes multi-session courses on accessibility in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, PDF Accessibility, and Accessibility Testing using automated tools, (eg IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker, Microsoft Accessibility Insights, the ARC Tool Kit, Wave and others, as well as testing for non-mouse (keyboard accessibility, and screen reader accessibility.
Performs related work as assigned.