WCAG Skills You Can Use on the Job

Jennifer is a disabled and neurodivergent accessibility professional with over 15 years of experience. She has had roles throughout software lifecycles, from software testing and development to program management and design.

She has experience in accessibility change management, creating accessibility programs in small to large organizations, and creating business cases for investments in accessibility that closely ties to business objectives.

She is an innovator with a proven track record of successful hackathons. She has contributed to the accessibility industry through foundational work inclusive design, design for neurodiversity, and design for mental health. She has presented previously at Accessibility Toronto, CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, and Innovate QA.

Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from the University of Washington, where she regularly guest lectures.

Dr. Christopher Smith has worked in digital accessibility since 2012, when he began his career as Director of Distance Education at Western Piedmont Community College. With over a decade of experience, he specializes in digital accessibility, instructional design, and learning experience design for online and distance education.

Throughout his career, Chris has attended numerous local, state, and national workshops on accessibility and has presented at multiple state and national conferences on the topic. He has published peer-reviewed research articles on digital accessibility in academic journals, contributing to the scholarship and practice that shape accessible course design today.

Chris has served on the North Carolina Accessible Educational Materials Leadership Team and is a founding member of the AECT Accessibility Committee, where he helps advance accessibility standards across the field of educational technology. His work focuses on building accessible, scalable learning experiences that increase access and opportunity for all learners.

Chris holds a Doctorate in Educational Technology from Boise State University.

Devon Persing is a chronically ill, disabled, and neurodivergent accessibility specialist. She has worked as an in-house subject matter expert as well as at agencies serving nonprofits, government agencies, and private sector clients. She specializes in accessibility education, literacy, and operations, with the goal of making accessibility work more sustainable for individuals across organizations.

Devon has given talks and taught workshops at accessibility, design, and technology conferences across the United States and internationally, including CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, Accessibility Toronto, and User Experience Lisbon, and has guest lectured at universities and community colleges. She is also the author of The Accessibility Operations Guidebook.

Before working in accessibility full time, Devon worked in libraries, higher education, and local government as an information architect, UX designer and developer, and accessibility advocate.

Devon has a Master’s degree in Information with a specialization in Library and Information Services from the University of Michigan.