10 Best Web Accessibility Courses and Certifications Online

Web accessibility refers to the practice of ensuring that websites, web applications, and digital content are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Improving web accessibility not only makes it easier for people with disabilities to use the internet, but it also benefits all users, including those with temporary or situational disabilities. With the increasing importance of web accessibility, online courses have become a popular and convenient way for individuals to learn about the latest techniques and best practices. This article presents an overview of some of the best web accessibility courses available online, highlighting their key features and benefits.

Here’s a look at the Best Web Accessibility Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Web Accessibility Courses and Certifications Online

1. Creating Accessible Websites by Stefany Newman (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The Creating Accessible Websites course, taught by Stefany Newman, is designed to help web developers achieve WCAG compliance through accessibility testing, WAI-ARIA, and website optimization for screen readers. The course is accompanied by professional captions for all lectures.

The course aims to equip web developers with the necessary skills to create accessible websites and interfaces, which is crucial in today’s world where respect for diversity is paramount. Successful completion of the course will enable web developers to offer clients a website upgrade that adheres to web accessibility standards, and also open up opportunities in the field of government websites.

The course starts with the basics, such as WAI-ARIA, color accessibility, HTML semantics, and the tabindex, and progresses to making a real-life website accessible.

Students can contact the instructor for guideline questions and course support. The course is divided into five sections, including an introduction, getting started with web accessibility, making a real-life website accessible, advanced web accessibility techniques, and a bonus section.

2. How To Design for Accessibility: for UX Designers (WCAG 2.2) by Liz Brown (Udemy)

The course, “How To Design for Accessibility: for UX Designers (WCAG 2.2),” is designed for UX and UI designers who are interested in creating accessible interfaces for digital products. The course is taught by Liz Brown, a seasoned UX designer who specializes in accessibility. The course covers the latest accessibility and usability best practices, including WCAG 2.1 / 2.2, Section 508, ADA, GIGW and RPD Act, AODA, Web Accessibility Directive EN 301 549, and DDA.

The problem that UX and product designers face when designing for accessibility is having to sift through a large amount of accessibility guidelines that are often difficult to understand and apply. The guidelines often have vague or unclear directions, making it challenging to create an accessible interface that is still aesthetically appealing.

The solution offered in this course is a set of 51 essential best practices specifically for designing accessible interfaces. These best practices are based on the latest WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Guidelines and focus solely on the aspects of accessibility that are within a designer’s responsibility and control.

The course provides ten benefits to UX and UI designers who complete it, including a superior design process for creating more accessible and user-friendly interfaces, identifying accessibility violations, standing out as an impressive designer, saving time and money, receiving an accessibility certification, speaking about design accessibility with confidence, preparing for a job that requires knowledge of designing for accessibility, and adding skills to a CV.

The course is perfect for beginners, as it does not require any prior knowledge of accessibility, WCAG, ADA, or usability. The course includes activities, quizzes, and downloadable resources, and students can ask the instructor questions along the way.

The course is highly practical and includes specific UI designs from real-world situations. It is based on expert sources and heavily researched for accuracy and peer-reviewed by seasoned accessibility specialists.

3. Introduction to UX Design for Accessibility and WCAG 2.0 by Matt Greene (Udemy)

This course is titled “Introduction to UX Design for Accessibility and WCAG 2.0” and is instructed by Matt Greene. It aims to provide a concise guide to meeting WCAG standards from a UX perspective. The course is delivered in an easy-to-follow video format and is taught by a senior UX designer who has over 15 years of experience. The instructor has worked with top brands such as The Southern Company and Westgate Resorts to solve accessibility problems.

In addition to the course videos, there are several other deliverables included in the course. These include a WCAG checklist, a tools catalog, and a keyboard accessibility cheatsheet. The course is divided into several sections, including an Introduction, Why Design for Accessibility, Types of Disabilities, An Introduction to WCAG 2.0, and The 4 Principles of WCAG 2.0.

The course aims to provide an introduction to WCAG 2.0 and to explain why it is important to design for accessibility. It also covers the different types of disabilities and provides an overview of the four principles of WCAG 2.0. The course is designed to be accessible and easy to follow, making it suitable for anyone interested in learning more about UX design for accessibility and WCAG 2.0.

4. WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 Simplified With Examples by Stefany Newman (Udemy)

The WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 Simplified With Examples course, led by Stefany Newman, focuses on developing web accessibility knowledge through practical examples. The course includes professional captions for all lectures and has resolved past audio and video issues.

The course is targeted at individuals who are new to coding accessible websites and find it challenging to understand the WCAG. The course aims to simplify the Success Criteria and provide practical examples of how to meet them. The course uses plain language to explain the concepts, rather than relying on outdated blog posts for information.

The course provides full coverage of all official WCAG Success Criteria and is regularly updated when draft criteria becomes permanent. This ensures that students are kept up to date with the latest guidelines. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor for support and guidance on any guideline questions.

The course is divided into five sections: Introduction, Accessibility Principle #1 – Perceivable, Accessibility Principle #2 – Operable, Accessibility Principle #3 – Understandable, and Accessibility Principle #4 – Robust. Additionally, the course covers the WCAG 2.2 guidelines and includes a bonus section.

5. Web Accessibility: Learn Best Practices, Tools & Techniques by Loop11 Loop11 (Udemy)

The Web Accessibility course offered by Loop11 teaches best practices, tools, and techniques to ensure website accessibility. The course is aimed at website designers, developers, and UX designers who often prioritize other factors over accessibility due to the complex guidelines and lack of client understanding. However, accessibility is increasingly becoming a legislative requirement and holds competitive advantages in some industries. The course aims to demystify website accessibility and provide practical guidance for its implementation. The course comprises of 12 modules, 10 downloadable cheat sheets and covers topics such as navigability, text content, multimedia, color, forms, images, tables, dynamic content, and CMS selection. The course is ideal for those involved in UX design or website development. The practical and meaningful tools provided by the course will enable candidates to confidently develop accessible websites and add value to their clients.

6. Introduction to Web Accessibility WCAG 2.1 by Ross Mullen (Udemy)

The Introduction to Web Accessibility WCAG 2.1 course, instructed by Ross Mullen, teaches web accessibility fundamentals and how to apply those techniques to websites. The course is organized into modules that group accessibility techniques to the relevant parts of a web page. Each lecture covers one accessibility concept, followed by a quiz, and an end of module activity applying what was learned onto a demo website. The course covers an overview of web accessibility guidelines and WCAG 2.1, building page structure, creating accessible content, improving web form structure, and applying accessibility techniques to a demo website hosted on GitHub.

This course provides practical reusable patterns and best practice accessibility examples to apply to projects. Understanding web accessibility is becoming an essential skill in web development, and this course provides the edge developers need to set themselves apart from others. The course is suitable for frontend and backend developers, UX or UI designers, and anyone in website or software development. With services moving online, web accessibility is more important than ever to ensure everyone has equal access to information and opportunities.

The course material is continually updated throughout 2020 and is the best online web accessibility course available at an affordable price.

7. Accessible UX Writing by Dr. Katharina Grimm (Udemy)

The Accessible UX Writing Course, instructed by Dr. Katharina Grimm, teaches the skills necessary to write effective microcopy for all users within digital interfaces. In order to ensure that users can complete tasks on websites and apps, communication must be intuitive and simple for all users, including those with different abilities and in various situations. Therefore, inclusivity and accessibility play a significant role in UX writing.

The course offers an opportunity for those interested in UX writing to learn how to make their writing accessible. It is suitable for UX writers, UX designers, UI designers, developers, product managers, and other professionals involved in digital product development or anyone with an interest in UX writing.

In part one of the two-part series, students will learn about accessibility in user experience, the role of UX writing in digital product accessibility, and how to make on-screen copy, such as button and link text, accessible. In part two, students will learn about accessibility in UX writing, the role of alt text in accessibility, where and how to add alt text, and how to document alt text.

The course includes three sections: Welcome, Course I: Accessible On-Screen Text, and Course II: Accessible Alt Text. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge to identify non-accessible copy and write inclusive and accessible copy and alt text.

8. Web Accessibility Training Course – WCAG 2.1 Compliance by Jim Byrne (Udemy)

The Web Accessibility Training Course – WCAG 2.1 Compliance Course is designed to teach both beginners and intermediate level website designers how to create accessible websites. The course is instructed by Jim Byrne, an award-winning accessibility specialist and website designer with over 25 years of experience. Upon completion of the course, participants will possess skills to understand, identify, and fix accessibility issues that they encounter. The course equips participants to construct and maintain accessible websites that meet the WCAG 2.1 guidelines up to AA level, which is the standard that most governments and organizations use as part of their legislation.

Jim Byrne, the instructor of the course, has an extensive background in website accessibility, having set up one of the UK’s first website accessibility consultancies, the Making Connections Unit (MCU) in 1996. He has worked with national and local government, the private sector, corporate clients, Further Education, and the not-for-profit sector. Participants of the course will have access to various course bonuses, including a 111-page website accessibility e-book, audio from the course, all the slides, and much more.

Participants will learn about the medical and social models of disability, how people with different impairments access the web, and the tools and techniques they use. The course will teach techniques for making non-text content accessible, such as images, videos, and tables, and how to ensure that links and forms are accessible. Participants will also have access to real examples of screen reader use and an example of captions being added to a video.

The course will cover HTML document structure and its fundamental role in making websites accessible. Participants will learn about the history and development of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines and what the levels of compliance mean. The instructor will translate the concepts into easy-to-understand language. Additionally, participants will learn about the basics of ARIA and how it can be used to make dynamic content accessible.

9. Web Design Accessibility Certificate by Chris Worfolk (Udemy)

The Web Design Accessibility Certificate Course is an online course that is designed for anyone who builds websites. The course is taught by Chris Worfolk, a psychologist, software consultant, and accessibility mentor who has worked with many international brands to make their websites more inclusive. The course covers the fundamentals of inclusive design, including WCAG, ARIA, screen readers, and other tools that can help designers, developers, programmers, engineers, and web enthusiasts build more inclusive websites.

The course consists of six sections: Introduction, Tools, Disabilities, Inclusive Design, Testing Project, and Conclusion. In the Introduction section, students will learn about the course and what they can expect to learn. The Tools section covers the various tools that can be used to make websites more accessible, including screen readers, text-to-speech software, and other assistive technologies.

The Disabilities section covers a range of disabilities, including sight, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities, and how they affect how people interact with websites. In the Inclusive Design section, students will learn about inclusive design principles and how to apply them to their websites. The WCAG compliance section covers the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and how to ensure that websites comply with them. The ARIA specification section covers how to use the ARIA specification to make websites more accessible.

At the end of the course, students will have mastered the fundamentals of accessible and inclusive design. They will be able to build more inclusive websites, improve conversion rates, and add a valuable skill to their CV. The course is accredited by the International Association of Therapists, and students can start the course immediately by purchasing it through the “buy now” button.

10. Introduction to WAI-ARIA for Beginners by Stefany Newman (Udemy)

The “Introduction to WAI-ARIA for Beginners” course, taught by Stefany Newman, is intended for front-end developers who may struggle with the technical and confusing ARIA specification. The course provides easy-to-understand code and real-life examples to teach the basics of ARIA. Stefany covers the fundamentals of ARIA, including what it is, when to use it, and common mistakes beginners make. Additionally, the course covers ARIA landmarks, screen reader interactions with ARIA, ARIA states, roles, and properties. Quizzes are provided to test knowledge. At the end of the course, students will be able to build real-life widgets with the knowledge they have gained.

This course offers professional captions (subtitles) for all lectures, and students are eligible for a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor with any guideline questions for fully fledged help and course support. Course content includes the basics of WAI-ARIA, ARIA landmark roles, ARIA states, roles and properties, ARIA widgets, and a bonus section.