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IAAP: CS201
IAAP Accessible Design Overview

IAAP Accessible Design Overview
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A self-paced course designed to raise and recognize accessibility skills to help designers to embed accessibility in their processes by understanding universal design principle and web accessibility standards.
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About This Course

Whether you’re designing an app, building a prototype, or mapping out a user journey, welcome! This course is designed to help designers across disciplines (UX, UI, content, and visual) create inclusive experiences that work for everyone. Accessibility isn’t some optional layer; it’s the foundation of great design. As a designer, you have the power to shape that experience from the start.

This course explores accessibility as a creative design discipline. You’ll learn:

  • How disability and human diversity impact digital use
  • Design practices that support screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive tools
  • How to accessibly structure content, color, typography, images, and forms
  • Best practices for inclusive interaction and feedback
  • How to test and advocate for accessibility within your team

Accessibility is not just compliance. Accessibility is caring, thoughtful design that works for everyone.

Course Topics

Module 1: Accessibility for Designers – A Comprehensive Overview

  • Lesson 1: The Designer’s Role in Digital Accessibility
  • Lesson 2: Designing for Assistive Technologies and Multimodal Interfaces
  • Lesson 3: Clear Structure and Navigation
  • Lesson 4: Color and Contrast for Accessibility
  • Lesson 5: Typography and Readable Text
  • Lesson 6: Accessible Forms and User Input
  • Lesson 7: Accessible Images and Multimedia
  • Lesson 8: Accessible Interaction and Feedback
  • Lesson 9: Accessibility Testing and Evaluation
  • Lesson 10: Putting Accessibility into Practice

Module 2: Understanding Disabilities Through the Design Lens

  • Lesson 1: Overview of Disabilities in Digital Accessibility
  • Lesson 2: Visual Disabilities
  • Lesson 3: Auditory Disabilities
  • Lesson 4: Motor Disabilities
  • Lesson 5: Cognitive and Neurological Disabilities
  • Lesson 6: Situational and Contextual Impairments
  • Lesson 7: Applying Inclusive Design: Bringing it All Together

Module 3: Accessibility for UI Designers

  • Lesson 1: The Role of the UI Designer in Inclusive Interaction Design
  • Lesson 2: Designing for Multimodal Access
  • Lesson 3: Perceivability and Structural Hierarchy Across Modalities
  • Lesson 4: Color, Sound, and Redundancy in Information Encoding
  • Lesson 5: Typography, Semantics, and Interpretability
  • Lesson 6: Icons and Labeling for Multimodal Interfaces
  • Lesson 7: Interactive Components and Feedback Across Input Methods
  • Lesson 8: Voice, Gesture, and Haptic Interfaces
  • Lesson 9: Responsive and User-Controlled Environments
  • Lesson 10: Managing Motion, Time, and Sensory Load
  • Lesson 11: Supporting Overrides, Personalization, and Custom Styles
  • Lesson 12: Documenting and Scaling Accessibility in Design Systems

Module 4: Accessibility for UX Designers

  • Lesson 1: Introducing Accessibility into the UX Design Process
  • Lesson 2: Defining Problems Inclusively
  • Lesson 3: Designing Flexible Flows and Tasks
  • Lesson 4: Designing for Usability and Accessibility Together
  • Lesson 5: Wireframing with Accessibility in Mind
  • Lesson 6: Accessible Navigation and Information Architecture
  • Lesson 7: Writing and Designing for Feedback, Errors, and States
  • Lesson 8: Collaborating Across Teams to Support Accessibility
  • Lesson 9: Inclusive UX Design Habits
  • Lesson 10: Accessibility for UX Writing Overview

Requirements

Before jumping in, we recommend completing the Fundamentals of Accessibility module. That foundational course introduces key concepts like:

  • What accessibility is and why it matters
  • Types of disabilities and their impact on technology use
  • How assistive technologies work
  • Why accessibility benefits all users
  • Legal and ethical frameworks for inclusive design
  • Core standards and guidelines: WCAG, ATAG, UAAG, and COGA
  • The POUR principles of accessibility: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust

With this foundation, your work in this course will be more impactful, grounded in empathy, and aligned with global best practices.

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for anyone involved in creating, designing or managing digital products and services, including:

  • Designers for UX, UI, content, visual, and interaction
  • Designers working in agile, product, or cross-functional teams
  • Designers shaping user experiences at any level of fidelity
  • Design leads or accessibility advocates building inclusive design culture
  • Teams designing mobile, desktop, or web products

Course Contributors

Headshot of Susana Pallero

Susana Pallero

Susana, CPWA, is a recognized digital accessibility professional with over a decade of experience, combining a technical and human-centered approach to building more accessible and inclusive digital environments. She has worked as a consultant for more than 20 Fortune 500 companies, contributing to the development of accessible solutions, inclusive product design, and training specialized accessibility teams.

Headshot of Jaunita Flessas

Jaunita Flessas

Jaunita, CPWA, ADS is an internationally-recognized digital accessibility leader with over 7 years of specialized expertise and 12 years of program management experience. As the Head of Technical Accessibility at Navy Federal Credit Union, she leads a team of 12 employees and oversees an Accessibility Task Force of 55+ volunteers while championing enterprise-wide accessibility initiatives.

Reviewer Acknowledgment

This training was reviewed by the following individuals, whose expertise and feedback were invaluable:

  • Dr. Monica Duhem - Director of the Global Advisory Center at G3ict
  • Beatriz González - Head of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion Central Europe, Atos
  • Nicolas Sandoval - Editor

Frequently Asked Questions

Do IAAP Members need to pay for the course? 

No, the course is free for active IAAP Members. Please contact iaapsupport@accessibilityassociation.org to be enrolled. Each IAAP member is eligible to take the course once. The course can not be reset, but learners are welcome to review the material as many times as they like while enrolled.

How long will the course take to complete? 

The course is self-paced, providing you with the flexibility to learn at your own pace, on your own schedule. The course will take about 5 hours to complete start to finish. Once enrolled, you will have one year to complete the course and receive your Certification of Completion.

Is this course eligible for IAAP Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAECs)?

Yes, if you currently hold the CPACC IAAP Certification this course could be used to earn up to 6 CAECs. If you complete this course prior to sitting for your exam, CAECs will not be awarded.

Will I receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the course?

To receive a Digital Knowledge Badge, you are invited to take the Accessible Design Overview knowledge base test at the “Test Your Knowledge Website.” You must pass with an overall grade of 85% to be eligible for a Digital Knowledge Badge. The test costs US$ 25 for IAAP members and US$ 50 for professionals referred to us by our training partners.

I am having an issue accessing or navigating the course, who can I contact?

Please send a detailed e-mail to iaapsupport@accessibilityassociation.org outlining the issue you have found in the course. Our team will work as quickly as possible to have it resolved. The course discussion boards are not regularly monitored, so adding issues there will not prompt a quick response.

What web browser should I use?

The Open edX platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

See our list of supported browsers for the most up-to-date information.

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