UK Chapter of IAAP

International Association of Accessibility Professionals

AbilityNet is proud to be a founding member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, a global not-for-profit membership-based organisation for individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies. Other founding members include Adobe, Barclays, Deque, Funka, HP, IBM, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft and Vision Australia.

As well as building our links internationally we are the lead organiser for the UK Chapter, which includes members such as Barclays, Atos and Lloyds Bank.

Membership benefits

Membership includes options for individuals and organisations and attracts people from a range of industries, including private sector businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and not-for-profits.

Whether you are an expert in accessibility or just starting your journey, IAAP membership boosts your career prospects and connects you with accessibility professionals from around the world. 

  • A supportive community of accessibility experts and leaders as well as novices and newbies.
  • An opportunity to learn and develop your own skills
  • Improve the value and reach of the products, content and services you provide.

 

Offering a unique networking opportunity for UK members

Launched in August 2021, we're delighted to announce a new 'network and learn' event for UK and India Chapter members. The virtual event takes place roughly every other month as a networking session where members can share accessibility tips and expertise, but also help to build and strengthen the IAAP community for accessibility professionals.

Not only are these great session for members to learn from other accessibility industry leaders, it's also the perfect opportunity for you to connect with other professionals in the accessibility space.

Our next Network and Learn event will take place on 18th April at 1pm UK time, sign up for your free place.

Promoting professional qualifications and certification

IAAP offers a range of globally-recognised professional qualifications, including:

The IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) 

  • This is IAAP's foundational certification, representing broad, cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge about 1) disabilities, 2) accessibility and universal design, and 3) accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies.  
  • Abilitynet recommends this as an entry-level qualification for anyone with a role in a digital team, not just accessibility specialists.
  • Visit the IAAP CPACC Overview page for more information.

The IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) 

  • WAS is a technical level exam for an individual with at least an intermediate level of detailed technical knowledge about the WCAG guidelines and other related web accessibility topics.
  • It is intended for those with regular hands-on experience in identifying and remediating accessibility issues in code and is quickly being adopted as a benchmark for more experienced accessibility positions.
  • Visit the IAAP WAS Overview page for more information.

Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) 

  • This status is given to individuals who successfully pass both the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) exam and the Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) exam.

Examinations

AbilityNet hosts IAAP exams in the UK - sign up for our news to find out when we are running the next session - or use the contact form below to learn more about IAAP membership.

Membership options

  • Membership includes options for individuals and organisations and attracts people from a range of industries, including private sector businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and not-for-profits.
  • Learn more about membership on the IAAP site.

Or ask us a question using the form below.