ADS certification preparation training

Course description

This course is tailored to prepare you for the International Association of Accessibility Professionals’ (IAAP) exam required to attain the Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) certification. It covers all knowledge areas from the IAAP ADS Content Outline, addressing both on hands-on technical skills and organisational knowledge.

The course provides an organised knowledge overview on document accessibility. It is focused on the ability to create accessible documents and conduct document assessments and remediation. It also covers mainstreaming document accessibility in organisations.

Outline of the content

The course is divided into three parts exploring the five knowledge domains that are included in the IAAP ADS certification exam.

Part 1: Creating accessible documents
Learning objectives:

• Understand key accessibility standards and guidelines (WCAG, EN 301 549, PDF/UA), user needs and assistive technologies.
• Identify and apply document creation practices and design decisions that support accessibility.

Part 2: Identifying and remediating accessibility issues in documents
Learning objectives:

• Identify and apply techniques for accessibility testing and audit, using automated tools, manual testing and assistive technologies.
• Understand remediation strategies and workflow for authoring and final format.

Part 3: Scaling document accessibility
Learning objective:
Understand and apply strategies to improve document accessibility on the organisational level through policies, advocacy, training and guidance.

Live trainer-led or self-paced training?

We offer courses live with the possibility to ask questions and interact with the trainer, as well as self-paced courses delivered through our accessible e-learning platform.

The live trainer-led courses are delivered through online live sessions led by our IAAP certified instructors.

This course is available in English.

Our certified trainers also speak Hungarian and Spanish. Contact us regarding the possibility to localize the course into these languages.

The self-paced courses are based on a multi-modal approach where video, audio, text summaries, screenshots, illustrations, captions and transcripts are provided to cater for various learning styles.

The self-paced courses are currently available in English only.

Who would benefit from the course?

The course provides fundamental knowledge to understand document accessibility and emphasises hands-on technical proficiency to work with documents. It specifically suited to individuals working with creating, assessing and remediating documents with accessibility in focus. However, the course is also beneficial for anyone that is interested in and/or working with accessibility in other organisational roles.

Why choose us as a provider?

The Funka Foundation is an IAAP Approved Certification Training Preparation Provider. Our trainers are certified. Our trainers have in-depth knowledge of the content of the ADS Body of Knowledge. Foundation staff members are co-founders of IAAP, and members of IAAP Certification Committee. The Funka Foundation is also leading the IAAP Nordic chapter.

Our approach is based on engagement and active learning:

• The training sessions are enhanced with examples from real life to illustrate how the knowledge can be applied in practice.
• Interactive exercises in the sessions will help you check what you learned as you go and support you on how to employ the knowledge.
• Each training session ends with test-questions created to be similar to actual exam questions.
• For live trainer-led courses, the training material (power point) is distributed to participants together with tips for further studies.
• For self-paced online courses, you have access to the material during 12 months.

Application and execution of the ADS exam is handled by IAAP

Please note that completion of the training programme does not guarantee the success of your professional certification exam. The course should be used in complement to your own studies to prepare for the exam.

To apply for the ADS certification, you must have 1-2 years of first-hand experience in accessible document authoring, remediation, training, policy, and advocacy of accessible document solutions. The IAAP Certification staff assesses the applications received and determines whether you fulfil the requirements to take the exam.

Accessible Document Specialist certification on the IAAP website (opens in new window)