Applied Accessibility for Designers

4.8 (8)

·

4 Weeks

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Cohort-based Course

Get practical accessibility skills to solve real-world challenges, including WCAG compliance, assistive tech, and inclusive design.

Previously at

InVision
Wunderman Thompson
Rga
Benjamin Moore
E*TRADE

Course overview

Get comfortable with leading accessibility in design and product

Applied Accessibility for Designers is the course I wish I had when starting my accessibility journey.


I've taken so many courses for developers, which vastly deepened my knowledge of accessibility, but when it comes to design and product, I've mostly learned by doing and peer-to-peer. I've created this comprehensive, cohort-based course that empowers designers and product owners with the practical skills and advocacy techniques to build inclusive and accessible digital experiences. This course delves deeper into considering accessibility at the early stages of a product and the operational level, offering hands-on projects, specialist-led lessons and discussions, and collaborative sessions to ensure you can effectively integrate knowledge and advocate for accessibility in your professional roles.


As a design leader and accessibility specialist with disabilities, I'm ready to share my tested techniques, which I've developed through my personal, professional, and academic experience of design and disability. We'll also dive into the deeper end advocating for accessibility with peers and decision-makers in organizations.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Understand the principles and guidelines of digital accessibility.

2. Implement accessible design practices in UI design.

3. Conduct accessibility audits and usability testing.

4. Create accessible design systems and components.

5. Advocate for accessibility within their organizations.

6. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure inclusive product development.

7. Stay updated on emerging trends and technologies in accessibility.


This class consists of lessons, 90 minute collaborative discussions, and take-home assignments.


Who is this course for

01

UX Designers with an understanding of how to design for web but would like to understand accessibility best practices

02

Product Designers and Product Owners who want to dig into a comprehensive view of accessibility operations and daily agile team processes

03

Managers of designers and cross-functional product teams who want to upskill their design team in accessibility or shift into a11y ops

What you’ll get out of this course

Build Accessibility Foundations for best UI practices

get clear on who needs accessibility, how accessibility benefits everyone, and practice-guiding principles

Example projects:

  • Conduct an accessibility audit of a popular website or app
  • Assistive tech practice and reflection

Understand the role and limitations of documentation and design systems in accessibility

Sample projects:

  • Design an accessible design component, ensuring each adheres to accessibility guidelines.
  • Write product and component requirements/acceptance criteria for better accessibility documentation at the ideation stage.

Frameworks:

  • Design systems
  • Agile
  • WCAG 2.1

Plan your personal growth using accessibility team roles

Apply design and content guidelines to your work immediately, and develop valuable soft skills for personal growth. Then, chart where you can apply these skills immediately in your organization.


Sample projects:

  • Roadmap accessibility in product development
  • Personal growth map

Discover advanced topics

Discover advanced topics in designing for accessibility from someone working to upskill teams daily.

  • Service Design
  • Research with users with disabilities
  • Enterprise patterns

This course includes

4 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

17 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

10 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

May 2—May 4

    Accessibility Foundations

    7 items

Week 2

May 5—May 11

    Accessible Design and Research

    6 items

Week 3

May 12—May 18

    A11y Culture and Crossfunctional Accessibility; Design Systems

    11 items

Week 4

May 19—May 25

    Advanced Topics and Future Trends

    3 items

Post-course

    Jul

    20

    Discussion Week 4

    Sun 7/206:30 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)

    Jul

    13

    Discussion Week 3

    Sun 7/136:30 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)

    Jul

    6

    Discussion Week 2

    Sun 7/66:30 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)

    Jun

    29

    Discussion Week 1

    Sun 6/296:30 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)

4.8 (8 ratings)

What students are saying

Meet your instructor

Soren Hamby

Soren Hamby

As a senior design leader, Soren focuses on building inclusive systems, communities, and products, all while cultivating diverse and robust teams. Soren's passion for accessibility is evident through their involvement in various initiatives, including serving as a maintainer at The A11y Project.


Throughout their career, Soren has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Google, Waymo, Verizon, Benjamin Moore, MRM//McCann, JPMorgan, InVision, Wunderman Thompson, E*Trade, and the Department of Defense's Software Engineering Directorate. They have led numerous talks and workshops, sharing insights on product design and accessibility.


In their free time, they often indulge their creative side through crafting, fashion, collecting enamel pins, and creating weird art that glows.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Applied Accessibility for Designers

Cohort 2 - Hybrid

$700

Dates

May 2—26, 2025

Application Deadline

Apr 28, 2025

Course schedule

7-9 hours per week

  • Sessions: Fridays

    2:30pm - 4:00pm EST

    Join us for live class discussions! 90 minutes of live time with other accessibility learners a week and time to ask your most pressing questions!

  • Weekly projects

    4 hours per week

    Asynchronous projects help you apply what you've learned and understand what you can continue to learn.

  • Video Lessons

    Bite-sized videos and demos will show you best practices and lectures, as well as hands-on activities.

Free resource

Join the A11y Training Discord Server

Join the A11y Training Discord server, where you can connect with peers on every step of their accessibility education, from seasoned pros to the accessibility curious. Share resources, find free accessibility training events, and continue your learning journey.

Join the free community!

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

Stay in the loop

Sign up to be the first to know about course updates.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Applied Accessibility for Designers

Cohort 2 - Hybrid

$700

Dates

May 2—26, 2025

Application Deadline

Apr 28, 2025

$700

4.8 (8)

·

4 Weeks