Job ID #31991: Digital Accessibility Specialist

City of Hamilton•Hamilton, ON

9d•CA$95,757 - CA$119,701

About The Position

This position ensures the City’s digital public documents are accessible for individuals with disabilities and is responsible for building organizational capacity and expanding digital accessibility knowledge. Key responsibilities include providing coordination and technical support, facilitating workshops, creating learning opportunities to enhance digital accessible design skills, and establishing a network of digital accessibility champions to drive adoption across the organization.

Requirements

Experience related to the duties listed above, normally acquired through the completion of a post-secondary degree or diploma in the field of digital accessibility, web development, or instructional design or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven experience in accessible document authoring, remediation, training, policy, and advocacy of accessible document solutions.
Demonstrated success in delivering workshops and training, with the ability to simplify technical concepts for diverse audiences.
Authoritative knowledge of digital accessibility standards and regulations, including WCAG 2.0/2.1 (AA) and PDF/UA, best practices and functional requirements for individuals with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, and learning.
Expert level proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, PowerPoint, and
Advanced skills in creating accessible documents using Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe.
Proficiency in tools such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ZoomText, and other assistive technologies.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to train and engage.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with content management systems and accessibility monitoring tools (e.g., SiteImprove, Axe, GrackleDocs) is an asset.
Certification in accessibility standards (e.g., Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), ADS Certified Document Remediator, Adobe Certified Professional in accessibility workflows) is an asset.

Responsibilities

Act as a central resource for digital accessibility knowledge, offering guidance and support across departments.
Design and deliver resources, toolkits, and strategies to increase awareness and adoption of accessibility practices.
Facilitate 1:1 and group training sessions to equip employees with skills for creating accessible digital content, including documents, presentations, and assets.
Produce instructional materials, such as guides, templates, and videos, to assist employees in developing accessible resources.
Manage the organization’s internal Digital Accessibility Sharepoint Portal to centralize resources and guidance.
Supports the implementation of digital accessibility standards across the organization, ensuring compliance with AODA Section 14: Accessible websites and web content.
Conduct accessibility audits and manual and automated testing of digital documents using tools like JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver to validate compliance.
Use tools like SiteImprove and assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers) to monitor and identify accessibility issues on hamilton.ca and associated web content.
Prepare compliance reports for stakeholders and leadership.
Monitor and analyze accessibility performance metrics to identify areas for improvement.
Conduct plain language audits and rewriting online content to improve clarity, accessibility, and user experience. This includes evaluating existing materials for jargon, complexity, and readability issues, then revising them to ensure they are clear, concise, and easy for all audiences to understand, in alignment with organizational guidelines and accessibility standards.
Collaborate with document owners and teams to remediate or convert inaccessible files to accessible formats, including HTML and/or remove the inaccessible file(s).
Remediate files to ensure they meet accessibility standards, including proper tagging, alternative text for images, logical reading order, and accessible forms. Scope of work includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat PDF files.
Coordinates the remediation of documents with external vendors when required due to document complexity or timing/workload.