My Journey to the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) Certification
Join me on my journey as I prepare for the IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) certification, sharing weekly insights, resources, and study plans.
Published on: 2025-01-29
Written by Schalk Neethling
The title is a mouthful for sure, but this is what will be occupying a lot of my downtime over the next ten weeks or so. There is a lot to work through in preparation for the exam, but thankfully I have been doing this for quite some time now, so I will primarily be solidifying my knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of web accessibility. With that said, this is a rather large topic and I am sure I will learn a lot of new things along the way, especially after having reviewed, what is called, the IAAP Book of Knowledge (BoK) for the WAS certification.
I will be writing the exam during the first or second week in April 2025 and am both excited and scared shitless. I have been working in the web accessibility space for a number of years now, but I have never written a certification exam to in a sense “prove” that I know what I am talking about, so this is a first for me. More importantly, that old friend imposter syndrome is rearing its ugly head again, so this is going to be a fun ride for sure.
In order to make this a less solitary experience I though that keeping some form of a weekly journal here on the blog might be a good idea. I will be sharing my thoughts, experiences, and learnings and will also be sharing some of the resources I have found useful along the way, so if you are also considering writing the exam, you might find some of the resources I share useful. I am also using old ChatGPT to help me formulate a weekly study plan, so I will be sharing that as well and let you know if I needed to make any tweaks to the plan as I go along.
To start, here is the planned weekly study schedule:
Week 1: Deep Dive into WCAG 2.2
Day 1: Foundations of WCAG 2.2
- Read WCAG 2 Overview and What’s New in WCAG 2.2
- Understand the structure of WCAG (Principles → Guidelines → Success Criteria)
- Learn what conformance levels (A, AA, AAA) represent and the difference between normative (required) and non-normative (guidance) content
Perceivable (Day 2-4)
Day 2: Understanding Perceivable
- Read Understanding Perceivable
- Focus on Text Alternatives (1.1), Time-based Media (1.2), Adaptability (1.3), and Distinguishable (1.4)
Day 3: Techniques & Practical Application
- Study Techniques for Perceivable Success Criteria
- Learn about Sufficient, Advisory, and Failure Techniques
- Analyze real-world examples of accessibility failures
Day 4: Review & Hands-on Practice
- Evaluate a website for Perceivable issues
- Take a quiz or create flashcards for key criteria
Operable (Day 5-7)
Day 5: Understanding Operable
- Read Understanding Operable
- Focus on Keyboard Accessibility (2.1), Enough Time (2.2), Seizures & Physical Reactions (2.3), Navigable (2.4), Input Modalities (2.5)
Day 6: Techniques & Real-World Application
- Study Techniques for Operable Success Criteria
- Review case studies of poor vs. good implementations
Day 7: Hands-on Testing & Review
- Conduct a keyboard and screen reader test on a website
- Take a quiz or write a summary of key concepts
Resources for the Week
- WCAG Official Documentation
- WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference
- Understanding WCAG 2.2
- Techniques for WCAG 2.2
- Practical Accessibility course by Sara Soueidan so, so good!
Ok, now it is out there and I am on the hook to actually do this. Wish me luck! 🤞 Ideas, suggestions, cautionary tales? Hit me up on Mastodon, BlueSky, or LinkedIn.