One of our goals at AFB is to promote wide spread high-level change in society for people who are blind or have low vision. One way we do so, in the Digital Inclusion space in particular, is by encouraging the employment of people who are passionate and knowledgeable about accessibility in the technology industry. Providing suggestions from the outside can only go so far; having people who think of accessibility during the product development process and have the knowledge to bring it about is a highly effective method for growing accessibility across the board, while also shifting the culture of these industry to be more proactive in regards to accessibility and inclusion.
One major approach we use to achieve this is the training of our interns and apprentices in our Talent Lab program. At AccessWorld, we also aim to promote the employment of these individuals by demonstrating to those who make hiring decisions the value of employing people who are blind or have low vision, but also by giving you, the readers, the information you can use if you are interested in joining the technology industry yourself.
In our recent AccessWorld issue, we spoke with Cala Campfield, Technical Writer of Accessibility Content at Salesforce. Cala, totally blind herself, explains what is needed in the current landscape to become an accessibility professional. She shares information on the state of the industry, valuable skills, and information on certifications that can be useful if you aim to join the industry. If you are considering a career in accessibility, no matter if you are someone fully sighted or have blindness or low vision yourself, we believe that Cala's interview will have valuable information for you. If you are not looking to join the industry yourself, Cala's piece still contains intriguing information for anyone interested in technology accessibility.
