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.