The accessibility of IT for people with disabilities makes a profound difference in their lives. Modern life requires using IT: to attain an education, hold a job, socialize, and be an active citizen. I am proud to be part of a community of colleagues who are making the world a more just and inclusive place.

The CPACC was introduced to me by my manager, Daniel Quiyu alongside Erich Neubauer and Kris Kauker from AV Services. My role in my department is to manage and troubleshoot video accessibility in our productions and having the CPACC under my belt would help my role in such an exponential way. The standards that are upheld in all aspects of accessibility will allow me to think more purposefully and cater our content better to our audience. As the University grows its efforts to make the campus more accessible, I will be aiding in our web accessibility to demonstrate Princeton University’s valiance in creating an all inclusive environment. 

What I love most is that I am able to take these practices and knowledge with me wherever I go. It’s great knowing that this information can be applicable to many different situations. Bringing accessibility to such an innovative point will allow more people to benefit from it all around the world and I cannot wait for that future to come to reality.

I heard about CPACC as a result of John Jameson doing an accessibility check on the Drupal site I built.  I was surprised to learn that some of my linked PDF’s were not accessible so I took a LinkedInLearning course to learn more about Acrobat's Accessibility tools.  I have a passion for the productivity tools in Word and spend every spring helping seniors use the tools in Word to be more productive when formatting their theses.  So to see my work in Word be relevant to accessible PDF's sparked an interest in seeking out more information, which led me too Mary's accessibility courses in the spring in which she mentioned a certification path.

I love being a part of something bigger than myself and always strive to see the perspective of others.  We all have unique needs for navigating the world and when we make it more accessible for more people, and when we think of being inclusive with easy to implement solutions, we all benefit.

I enrolled in the CPACC certification program with the intention of gaining a deeper understanding of accessibility for individuals with disabilities. I have encountered individuals who require support, and I felt compelled to equip myself with the knowledge and skills to assist them effectively. As a member of the DEI subcommittee on Culture of Inclusion, this newfound understanding will enable me to contribute valuable input to the improvement of accessibility for all employees within our department. This certification program has provided me with invaluable insights into the needs of people with disabilities and how to address those needs.

In my time working in customer service and technical support roles I have worked with many people with a variety of disabilities. It has always been important to me that everyone I support feels like an equal. As support professionals it is our responsibility to ensure that those with disabilities are provided with an accessible environment and interface within our ever-shifting world of technology. I pursued the CPACC certification with that in mind. In many ways, those in support roles are like an accessibility tool in the way we help others use and understand technology.

Advancing the cause of accessibility gives rise to innovation. It challenges us to bring a critical perspective to information communication technology (ICT) and create new, more inclusive designs and implementations that respect the diversity of human experience.

We all create digital environments and materials every day. It could be something as simple as an email, or as robust as an online course. We are creators! It’s what we do. When we work hard to craft content, we want it to be accessible to everyone. The CPACC helps highlight barriers to access that may otherwise go unnoticed to creators. With the knowledge I’ve gained from the CPACC certification, I can not only help break down those barriers, but help educate others as well. This certification helps me be a better creator and accessibility ambassador.

All people should be given an opportunity to participate and contribute to society in any way they see fit.  Giving them the needed tools is a benefit which far outweighs any short term expense.  Getting a CPACC certification is allowing me to contribute to that in my own small way.

Society’s advancement relies on the equitable design of information. The CPACC credential embodies this idea by providing technologists practical ways to create accessible information and evaluate its impact. As a developer and user researcher, these techniques have improved the nature of my work.

I am becoming CPACC certified because I believe that all people should be able to freely and easily access information.  It is a basic human right.  Becoming CPACC certified gives me the knowledge and tools to assist with bridging the digital divide for folks with disabilities.  Just spreading awareness that access is not equal for everyone is the first step towards a world that is more inclusive.  And finally the implementation of Universal Design is a benefit to everyone. 

The web has become an important resource for many people. It is crucial that we remove any potential barriers and design and develop websites, systems, and applications in a manner that is inclusive for all.

Preparing for and earning a CPACC certification opens your eyes to the world in a way you’ve never experienced it before. It not only affects my work at Princeton University but I find myself considering accessibility everywhere I go -- when I use public transportation, when I use my cellphone, when I attend events, even when I’m just at the supermarket. I began this work with an intention to be more inclusive in my role at the university but I never expected the content of the course to affect everything I do. Especially after learning about the different models of disability, I’ve come to understand that considering accessibility isn’t just something to do when you’re in the right mood. It’s a necessity if we want to include everyone in everything we do. And at Princeton University, we want and need to include everyone.

A sense of belonging and connection are necessary for us to be healthy humans. A focus on accessibility fosters connection that yields practical societal benefits as well as emotional and mental health benefits. By facilitating inclusion, we increase the potential for individual growth through education, training, jobs and general participation in society. Such connection and inclusion are natural drivers of innovation and creativity.

I enrolled in the CPACC certification program to further my learning of accessibility, specifically digital accessibility, so that I can ensure the work I’m doing is inclusive for all. This training has broadened my knowledge of disabilities, accessibility and universal design. Having this knowledge will enable me to think critically, help remove barriers, and educate others about the importance of accessibility. 

I took this certificate program to develop a better understanding of accessibility, specifically in the digital space. With this knowledge, I can better serve my team at Princeton and make impactful decisions that will better serve individuals with disabilities.

My group creates fully online courses (MOOCs) for learners around the world. Over the past 5 years we have had over 2 million people from more than 190 countries enrolled in our courses. Our learners can be everything from young grade school kids or college students, to adult learners and retirees. They have very different language skills, abilities and social and economic backgrounds. I want to make sure we create an inclusive environment for all of these learners, and that we do everything we can to give them equal or equivalent access access to our content. The CPACC certification has helped me be better able to achieve that goal.

CPACC certification is integral to my personal and professional growth.  Accessibility enhances the world around us and makes it possible for disabled individuals to thrive.  One day, I hope that accessibility is automatically part of every decision that we make, but until then, we need to actively educate ourselves and advocate. 

This course has opened my eyes to the obstacles that students, faculty and staff could face while at Princeton. Providing accessible web content, open and accessible events and programming is vital to providing the best experience at Princeton for everyone. I want everyone to feel like they can participate and take advantage of every learning opportunity we provide.

Access to information is a core professional value in libraries. Without disability inclusion, libraries are unable to design services, collections, spaces, and programming that enrich the lives of all members of our communities. The CPACC certification helps provide the skills needed to make sure that libraries are useful, usable, desirable, and accessible for all users both now and in the future.

Accessibility is important to me because it removes barriers to a site’s content and makes it available to everyone. A more inclusive website means that it has a wider reach and respects the diversity of its users. It is a unique technical requirement in that it not only benefits a particular website experience, but benefits society as a whole.

Technology increasingly touches everyone’s lives and having access to it is a fundamental necessity.  This is a unique chance to improve that accessibility to some while improving the user experience for others.

The CPACC certification is the perfect addition to my skill set and will allow me to play a key role in ensuring that the digital and physical worlds are barrier-free and accessible to all. I look forward to serve as an accessibility liaison within the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.

At the McGraw Center, we support faculty members and instructors as they advance as teachers, graduate students as they begin their teaching practice and progress as teachers and professionals, and undergraduates as they develop as learners and scholars. We are committed to ensuring that our digital resources are accessible in teaching, research, and learning.

“Is that yellow text on a white background inside an image inside a carousel?"

Having a quality assurance role, I found the WAS especially helpful for understanding how assistive devices parse and interact with our sites.

Since I work as a communicator in a center focused on humanistic design, entrepreneurship, and innovation, I feel it is essential for me to have all the tools and resources available to ensure that I can provide my content in a way that is inclusive and accessible to all.

I see inequities so often in my daily life, and this certification will give me a deeper understanding of the issues and possibly a network and pathway to making sustainable, impactful change.

After working with bringing accessibility to my local community theatre group, I’ve been wanting to learn more, not only about accessibility, but to also take steps into learning more details about what it means to those who require access and the laws.  In one way or another, accessibility affects us all.  Being able to bring new knowledge to my work at Princeton will help me see the campus, the buildings, the classrooms, the technology, and the social aspect of campus life in a new way.  Through the CPACC Certificate program, I’ve gained more in-depth knowledge about accessibility, how it impacts those who may require accessibility, how it can impact all of society and how it can change the world.  I hope to be able to bring the new knowledge to my work at Princeton and also outside of Princeton.

Being an A11y and a CPACC means ensuring that the idea of open and effective communication is applied fairly to every possible person(s). Accessibility should not mean tailoring an experience to one group, but making every possible experience available to all groups.

Accessibility to me means eliminating barriers and providing an all-inclusive environment. Allowing people to contribute to the benefit of society!

I believe, to my core, in the concepts of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Often times we inadvertently put up barriers that dissuade or block access to spaces in the digital, mental, and physical realm.  It is with this certification that I enlighten, strengthen, and display my dedication to ensure that items that have my fingerprints or input inject the core concepts of accessibility; affording everyone the chance to participate equally and freely.

While working in a role that directly supports hundreds of students and staff, I felt it was important to think outside my own box. This is especially true when it comes to opportunities­­ to support one of the many University diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI). Along these lines, I heard and read about the University sponsored CPACC program.  I was excited to be removed from the waitlist for the Summer ‘24 course and invited to join the group instead. Throughout my over 50 hours of individual study, reflection submissions, group meetings, study groups and quiz work I gained such a broad foundational knowledge of disability and accessibility concepts. I plan to utilize this information to help lead, guide and develop a more accessible environment in my workplace and in my private life as well.

As someone who has been doing Marketing for 6 years, I’ve tried my best to make an effort to be as inclusive as possible, especially in the content that I create and the programs that I plan. Sometimes Accessibility isn’t often brought up in DEI conversations and by becoming CPACC certified, I want to be more confident in having more knowledge-driven conversations around accessibility. From meeting with Directors of Disabilities Services by including statements for reasonable accommodations to designing accessibly and upgrading our website to meet accessibility guidelines, this is an amazing opportunity to learn more and share what I have learned with my colleagues and the students I supervise.

An accessible web is not a privilege, it is a right. To aid in making an accessible web is a responsibility and privilege.

My department hosts a lot of events, so I would like to learn about the best practices for creating an accessible environment.  This course has made me more aware, and the information taught is beneficial and important for all employees to know.  Change and improvement begin with more advocates like us.

The CPACC certificate program has broadened my knowledge of digital accessibility and deepened my understanding of the impact of accessibility on my daily job.

As an instructional designer, I strive to assist educators with designing and creating inclusive instructions and learning experiences. With accessibility in mind and applying Universal Design for Learning framework are essential best practices to create an extraordinary teaching and learning experience for everyone here at Princeton.

Equity is important, and we should all do our best to make sure society is as inclusive as possible. Most of my job is centered on web content, and so that is how I found my way to the CPACC course, because I wanted to make sure that the web content on my department’s site was accessible to all.

Elio Lleo is the Support for Computing in Academic Departments/Department Computing Support (SCAD) specialist for the Department of African American Studies.

As the administrator of the Princeton Off Campus Housing website,I’ve become more aware of and interested in the subject of digital accessibility and UX in general. Becoming CPACC certified was a good place to start to become educated in the multiple aspects of accessibility.