Accessibility (iACC)

This is an elective skill. You may choose this as one of your required quota from the focused technical category.

Making sure our implementations are accessible to everyone regardless of disability or impairment, can be used with assistive technology, and follows WCAG guidelines.

LVL 2 - Engineer I

Is broadly familiar with accessibility and why it is important.

  • understands a few basic accessibility considerations such as colour contrast ratio, image alternative text, and minimum text sizes.
  • uses semantic HTML including hierarchical headings.

LVL 3 - Engineer II

Has a basic level of understanding of accessibility specifics. Able to implement accessible features, test their implementation, and understand recommendations from an audit.

  • builds features conforming to WCAG 2.1 level AA.
  • is familiar with the impact of DOM structure, semantic HTML, and other native patterns (form labels, alt tags, etc) on accessibility.
  • knows about ARIA techniques and skip navigation links.
  • knows about tools for testing accessibility.
  • can act on feedback from an accessibility audit.

LVL 4 - Senior I, TTL, SEM

Has a good understanding of accessibility and considerations as it pertains to entire sites. Leads others on accessibility topics especially during design and code review. Can conduct a basic accessibility audit.

  • builds sites conforming to WCAG 2.1 level AA, and may have built sites or features to higher levels.
  • considers accessibility as part of implementation, not as an afterthought.
  • can advise clients and designers during the design review phase.
  • reviews others' work for accessibility issues.
  • has a higher understanding of ARIA techniques and applying them, including roles, states, and properties.
  • can create a simple accessibility report using automated tools (Wave, Lighthouse, etc).

LVL 5 - Senior II

Defines the accessibility approach on their project, ensuring it is an integral part of our design and development process. Able to clarify accessibility topics, especially to clients, and provide alternative solutions. Able to create (or contribute to) detailed reports from accessibility audits which specify priorities, risks, and opportunities.

  • introduces or enforces processes to include accessibility as part of implementation, not as an afterthought.
  • introduces automated accessibility auditing tools for use in engineer workflows and/or CI pipelines
  • suggests accessibility improvements to clients and their team for new or existing features.
  • able to escalate issues related to the client brand, such as brand colours and fonts/sizes, and recommend accessible solutions.
  • can create a full accessibility report using manual testing in addition to automated tools (Wave, Lighthouse, etc).
  • guides and trains others on accessibility topics outside of their project.

LVL 6 - Principal

Guides Inviqa's overall approach to accessibility, recommending tools and processes that can be applied across multiple projects. An authority in this domain who guides and educates others on our best practice.

  • ensures accessibility across multiple projects matches at least WCAG 2.1 level AA for topics within Inviqa's control (eg. not necessarily content).
  • considers accessibility for any site they're involved in and knows its implications for any project.
  • advises on specific tools and approaches in this domain.
  • might conduct external accessibility training.