Product Designer -Accessibility Specialist (W2/Hybrid/Columbus, OH/USA)

Columbus, Ohio, United StatesHybridContractPosted 2 months agoVisa sponsorship available

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Role summary

We are seeking an experienced Accessibility Specialist to ensure digital products meet legal requirements and accessibility standards like WCAG. This role involves the entire product lifecycle, from strategy and policy development to hands-on testing and remediation. Responsibilities include defining standards, reviewing designs, conducting manual and AT testing, providing developer consulting, and training teams. The ideal candidate will demonstrate in-depth specialization in accessibility compliance across all phases, not just a superficial mention of WCAG. This is a W2 contract position with a hybrid work model in Columbus, OH.

Job Title: Product Designer -Accessibility Specialist

Location: Columbus, OH

Position Type: W2 Contract / 6 Months Plus

ONSITE/REMOTE/HYBRID: Remote/Onsite in Columbus, OH

Visa: USC/GC

\*\*We are not looking for a UI/UX Designer that just mentions WCAG on the resume a few times. They all mention that. The resume must show in depth specialization with Accessibility compliance across all phases\*\*

Accessibility Specialist

Role Overview - An Accessibility Specialist’s responsibilities span the entire product development lifecycle, from strategy and training to hands-on testing and remediation. Their work ensures digital products (websites, mobile apps, and documents) comply with legal requirements (like the ADA and Section 508) and standards (like WCAG).

Core Responsibilities

Strategy and Policy Development

· Establish Standards: Define and document internal accessibility standards and guidelines, often based on WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Level AA.

· Policy and Governance: Assist in creating organizational accessibility policies, roadmaps, and governance frameworks to ensure long-term commitment.

· Legal Compliance: Stay current on evolving legal requirements (e.g., ADA, Section 508, AODA, EN 301 549) and litigation trends to mitigate risk.

· Vendor Management: Evaluate third-party tools, platforms, and vendors for accessibility compliance before procurement or integration.

Design and Development Lifecycle

· Design Review: Review design materials to identify and correct potential accessibility barriers (often called "Design Accessibility Reviews").

· Component Library Standards: Define accessibility requirements for reusable UI components (e.g., proper ARIA use, keyboard interactions, focus management) for design systems.

· Developer Consulting: Provide real-time guidance and code review to development teams on accessible coding practices (e.g., semantic HTML, correct ARIA attributes, keyboard support, focus management).

· Automated Testing Integration: Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate accessibility checkers (like Axe or Lighthouse) to catch regressions automatically.

Auditing and Testing

· Manual WCAG Audits: Conduct comprehensive, in-depth manual audits of products against WCAG criteria using specialized tools and techniques. Manual audits are necessary as automated a11y testing doesn’t cover all aspects of testing.

· Assistive Technology (AT) Testing: Perform hands-on testing using a variety of AT, primarily:

· Screen Readers: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver (iOS/macOS), and TalkBack (Android).

· Keyboard-Only Navigation: Testing full site functionality without a mouse.

· Magnification and Color Tools: Ensuring compatibility with low vision needs.

· User Testing: Work with the Research Team to help support user testing sessions with individuals with disabilities (IWDs) to gather direct feedback and uncover usability issues.

· Reporting: Document accessibility defects clearly, providing reproducible steps, screenshots, affected WCAG criteria, severity, and clear remediation guidance for development teams.

Training and Education

· Team Training: Develop and deliver customized training programs for designers, developers, QA testers, content writers, and product managers on their respective accessibility responsibilities.

· Documentation: Create and maintain internal documentation and best practice guides for accessible design and development patterns.

· Culture Change: Act as an internal evangelist to champion accessibility awareness, fostering an inclusive design culture across the organization.

Remediation and Quality Assurance (QA)

· Prioritization: Work with Product and Engineering leadership to prioritize reported defects based on severity, usage, and legal risk.

· Defect Triage: Analyze and triage incoming accessibility bugs, verifying fixes, and ensuring they meet the defined success criteria.

· Content Accessibility: Guide content teams on creating accessible media, documents (PDFs, Word files), alt text, captions, and transcripts.

· Maintenance: Conduct regular monitoring and spot-checks of existing products to prevent accessibility regressions after new code deployments.

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