13 Jul, 2024

What is CPACC

13 Jul, 2024

Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) is a certification administered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), an organization founded ten years ago that has helped advance the landscape of online accessibility.

A division of the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (Information and Computer Technologies), the IAAP self-describes as a membership-based organization with a mission to “define, promote, improve, and diversify the accessibility profession globally through certification, education, and networking in order to enable the creation of accessible products, content, services, and environments.”

CPACC Certification is Industry-Leading

CPACC certification is currently recognized as the gold standard. Through certification, the goal is to foster a rich and diverse array of accessibility professionals with cohesive knowledge that can grow accessibility across various industries from the inside out. For instance, the areas of technology, industrial design, transportation, and architecture have all benefited from certifying individuals and organizations to create and implement ideas, designs, and operations that incorporate accessibility paradigms at a foundational level.

Why is CPACC certification important for website auditing services?

CPACC certification is important for the provision of website auditing services in two critical ways.

First, it signals a level of knowledge and understanding of the issues, advances, and best practices found at the intersection where technology and accessibility meet. Any company conducting website accessibility audits that relies on software alone and does not utilize CPACC-certified professionals falls short of this best-in-class standard. Specifically, the IAAP explains that CPACC certification signifies an in-depth knowledge of “disabilities, accessibility and universal design, and accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies.”

Second, building a team with CPACC certification demonstrates a commitment to remain at the forefront of developing technologies and protocols for accessibility. Notably, this commitment is not just to clients but also to blind and low-vision consumers. It signifies a belief in the implementation of accessibility toward the tri-part goal of inclusivity, independence, and equity.

So, when it comes to accessibility, CPACC-certified professionals don’t follow and play catch-up; they lead the way with authority.

Who should get a CPACC certificate?

Ideally, every organization, profession, corporation, business, municipality, non-profit, etc., should require a certain number of individuals to achieve and maintain CPACC certification. By ensuring that people are becoming well-versed in the most contemporary accessibility knowledge, our society can begin to incorporate inclusive design considerations from the ground up.

AllyADA Maintains CPACC Certification

CPACC certification is a hallmark of AllyADA’s best-in-class website accessibility auditing services for blind and low-vision consumers. After all, one of the most unique, business-forward features of our service is the fact that we have engineered a review that incorporates authentic human experience.

Our competitors rely on software and algorithms to review their client’s websites, which leaves gaps in usability analysis. By incorporating experiential knowledge gathered from blind and low-visibility consumers, our audits are comprehensive, accurate, and reliable in a way that outpaces the competition by a wide margin.

By ensuring that CPACC-certified professionals are incorporating, analyzing, and utilizing this input to improve auditing and design capabilities, AllyADA is leading the way to a more inclusive and expansive model that benefits business as much as it benefits blind and low-visibility consumers.

Interested in attaining CPACC certification? Here are some key things to know:

Exams are given year-round, and the dates are posted on the IAAP website. However, applicants must apply and be accepted to participate in order to sit for an exam. Applicants must either have one year of experience already working with accessibility in some capacity or be transitioning into a position that requires this.

CPACC exams are not free. Candidates pay for the exam and any retake, if necessary. However, discounts are offered for various reasons, including being an applicant from an IAAP member organization or from a small or emerging economy (as classified by the United Nations).