Boost your accessibility skills with the CPACC Exam
A cross-disciplinary, accessibility certificate almost anyone can get.
If you’re looking to learn a little more about a11y (accessibility), especially if you have a role designing for the digital or physical space, preparing to take and ace the CPACC exam is a great start. Also, it never hurts to add another certification to your resume; especially one that enhances inclusive design thinking.
CPACC stands for Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (a mouthful to say), and is distributed by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). As the certification name hints, this exam is foundational in accessibility knowledge and reviews broad topics across many domains. For instance, this exam requires you to know about applying accessibility in the world of ICT (Information & Communications Technology) as well as school curriculum design for the UDL (Universal Design for Learning).
How I discovered the CPACC
My journey of beginning to apply accessibility into my UX UI design processes started in 2022, when my co-worker was working with Ilumino on auditing our Design System to meet the success criteria of WCAG 2.1, Level AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). I was lucky to observe and learn how to improve the accessibility of our recyclable UI components, to then adopt a new phase of accessibility to my design process.
During the audit, I found gratification from learning and applying web accessibility standards. It felt like it gave a little more purpose to my role within the Design System. I later became aware of the IAAP and their certification offerings from a co-worker, and I became determined to pass the CPACC exam in 2023.
By no means does studying and passing the CPACC exam make you an immediate accessibility expert, but it does give you perspective on the diversity of disabilities, assistive technologies, and what you and your organization can do to integrate accessibility into org processes and product development.
What does the exam test over?
The exam is 100 questions; each question is single-choice from a selection of four answers. You have 120 minutes or 2 hours to complete the exam, unless you need an accommodation for more time which can be arranged.
The makeup of the exam reviews three main topics:
- Disabilities, Challenges, and Assistive Technologies: This topic surrounds the Models of Disability, understanding categories and characteristics of disabilities, and identifying appropriate assistive technologies and adaptive strategies.
- Accessibility and Universal Design: This topic surrounds identifying and applying accessibility principles from WCAG 2.1 standards, principles of Universal Design, as well as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
- Standards, Laws, and Management Strategies: This topic includes identifying international conventions on disability rights, global laws and regulations, and integrating accessibility within an organization.
I know these topics may seem overwhelming to read through, especially if you’re completely unfamiliar in certain subject areas such as the UDL or accessibility-focused legislation. Trust me, I was too. But after but after you start to sift through the content, you’ll realize how interconnected the topics are to each other and to information you probably already know.
Also, it’s unnecessary to know every detail surrounding a topic. The exam asks that you understand the content enough to be able to recognize and apply your knowledge when asked a certain question. For instance, you don’t need to know the year the UN Declaration of Human Rights was created, but you do need to know how it catalyzed an analysis into who needs further legislation protection; signaling a shift in viewing people with disabilities with a social model* perspective.
*I’ll let you do the studying to figure out what this means (wink-wink).
How I prepared to take the exam
The IAAP recommends you study 5 to 10 hours per week for 6 to 8 weeks before the exam date to prepare. So at minimum, you’ve studied for 30 hours before taking the exam. I personally studied on and off for four months, but knew I had at least 30 hours of studying under my belt.
I decided I was ready to take the exam when I felt like my studying had plateaued. I also gave myself a deadline to take the exam by the end of 2023. The mix of my ‘gut feeling’ and deadline motivated me to attempt the exam, which I took full advantage of by taking the exam the very last day it was offered in 2023 😅.
I. Read the Deque University CPACC Prep course
To start my studying process, I purchased Deque University’s CPACC preparation course. At the time of my purchase in June 2023, it cost about $60*. After my application for the course was approved after one business day, I got access to the course for one year from the date of approval. If needed, I will have to repurchase the course after this year mark.
*All Deque curriculum and courses are free for people with disabilities!
The content in the Deque course is sectioned almost exactly as the IAAP’s content outline for the CPACC, and all necessary information is defined in the material. To me, the material was interesting so I felt like I was flying through the course during my first read-through. Deque also includes a small quiz* after each sub-section, which was beneficial to quickly test my knowledge and see if I needed to reread a certain section.
*These quizzes are not representative of real questions you will see on the CPACC exam.
II. Read the IAAP Body of Knowledge
After going through the Deque materials and making my own Google Docs notes throughout the course, I read through the IAAP’s Body of Knowledge for the CPACC exam. I found the Body the Knowledge to be a great supplementary resource to the Deque course, but I don’t think reading ONLY the Body of Knowledge would have been enough; at least for me.
III. Create a Quizlet and/or read ‘100 Days of A11y’
For lesser IAAP-approved studying materials, I made a personal Quizlet to go through flashcards on specific topics and terms, as well as reading through this blog called “100 Days of A11y” by Amy Carney.
IV. Practice test?
Now, I know what you’re thinking; is there a sample exam I can take? Unfortunately, no. At least not for free. The IAAP promotes a partnership with Princeton University CPACC prep materials, which also comes with a practice exam, but for the price of $195*. Given that the cost of the CPACC exam alone is $485 alone, I relied on my study methods and reading.
*The Princeton CPACC course is free if you’re an IAAP member.
For an idea of what questions will look like on the exam, the IAAP does offer ten sample questions you can refer to.
As for other prep materials, if you want to explore resources outside Deque, the IAAP lists two other approved providers, which are Funka’s CPACC Certification Program and Hearcolors’ on-demand CPACC preparation course which is in Spanish.
For your studies, if you do your reading, put in your hours of studying, and comfortably answer any sample question you can find, you’ll be prepared enough. Go into the test confident, and don’t overthink the questions.
Take the CPACC exam
I. Apply for the exam through the IAAP site
To start, you must apply to take this exam through the IAAP website. They ask that you have at least one-year experience* in accessibility when applying; if not, they will ask you to describe your goals relating to obtaining the CPACC certification.
*Experience in accessibility does not mean you have to have a role-specific accessibility title (I do not). It is more-so asking that you’ve considered accessibility in your current role’s responsibilities. If you’re a UX UI designer, software engineer, or content designer, this exam is VERY applicable to you.
Note, there must be an open exam session to apply. The sessions are open for around a month, then close for a month. So if a session is not open when you feel ready to apply, you’ll only have to wait four weeks maximum.
II. Schedule your exam date
Once your application is approved within one to five business days, you can schedule your exam date to take it virtually through a proctor service or at an in-person testing location near you. I personally took my exam through the offered Kryterion proctor service with little issues.
The IAAP offers six exam sessions per year, with each session lasting about four weeks. As example, the first exam session of 2024 is January 17th to February 14th. The application for that exam session opens on January 3rd and closes on January 31st. Click here to view the IAAP 2024 exam session dates.
III. Be sure you’re ready when applying
Essentially, when you submit your exam application, you should feel confident enough to take the exam in a few weeks. If not, I would suggest waiting for the next exam session to apply and take the exam (and pass!).
Next steps after taking the exam
I. Continue accessibility education
After taking the exam and passing, it’s not a one and done deal. You must maintain your certification by obtaining relevant credits, called Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAECs). This is due to accessibility standards changing and improving with each year.
CAECs can be completed with IAAP-approved classes, workshops, conference participation, and other activities such as volunteering events or publishing articles focused on accessibility.
II. Submit your CAECs
Every IAAP certification is valid for three years, and you must submit your CAECs along with a renewal application in order to renew your certification. If your certification lapses, you will have to take the exam again to regain the certification.
For the CPACC, you must earn 45 CAECs within the three years before the renewal, and submit each through the IAAP website.
To view the requirements for maintaining a CPACC or other IAAP certification, view the Continuing Accessibility Education Credits guidelines.
III. Study for the WAS exam
For myself, my next steps will be to prepare for and take the Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) exam, also under IAAP’s certifications. If you earn both the CPACC and WAS certificates, you get an upgraded title called Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA).
The WAS exam is more technical and requires some coding knowledge, but is not restricted to only software engineers or web developers. So if you’re a fellow UX UI designer, don’t let this scare you away!
As earning the CPWA certification will be my goal for 2024, stay tuned for an article for studying tips for the WAS exam.
“I want to learn about accessibility, but can’t afford the CPACC exam.”
This is totally ok. You don’t have to have a certification to begin applying accessible practices or to consider yourself an accessibility-focused designer, engineer, or ally.
Some web accessibility practices you can adopt right now include:
- Always providing alt text for images in your dev hand-off files, Powerpoint slides, Medium articles, etc.
- Opting in for bigger typography styles, and avoiding small type styles such as 12px font sizes.
- Checking your content’s color contrast to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards, which includes a 4.5:1 contrast ratio. My favorite color contrast checker is the Adobe Color Accessibility Tool.
- Ensuring your website is functional for a keyboard-only user; meaning you can navigate the website using ONLY your keyboard without getting trapped or confused by a non-sequential keyboard order.
- Using semantic markup by tagging <h1> to <h6> headings; not only using type styles to visually represent headings. The markup allows screen-readers to properly read the page’s content.
- Properly naming any hyperlinks within your content. Instead of naming a link “Click me”, which gives no indication of where I would navigate to if I clicked on it, practice naming links that are relevant to the destination of the link such as “International Association of Accessibility Professionals Homepage”.
For more tips, view W3C’s Getting Started in Designing for Web Accessibility.
In closing
While studying for this exam, it felt motivating to be better equipped to design for inclusivity. The most powerful takeaway I got from the materials was the realization that much of the ‘norm’ in society was not created thinking of people with disabilities.
As a simple example, picture the front of a two-story house. Does it have some stairs or even one step-up leading to the front door? If yes, a person who uses a wheelchair would not be able to access that entrance, and it’s not their fault; it’s the normalized design of a house that is at fault.
Everyone deserves to live their life to their fullest potential, and the web and mobile internet empowers people to do that. Designing for web and mobile services with accessibility in mind helps me change what I prioritize, how I design, and what I advocate for during design compromises.
If you decide to be an accessibility ally, whether you take the CPACC exam or begin from the basics of checking your content’s color contrast to meet WCAG 2.0 criteria, I applaud you and am rooting for you in adopting accessible design practices.
Resources
Here are links to all the resources listed throughout this article:
- Deque’s IAAP CPACC Exam Preparation
- IAAP CPACC Content Outline
- IAAP CPACC Body of Knowledge
- ‘100 Days of A11y’ by Amy Carney
- Princeton’s CPACC Exam Preparation Training Course
- IAAP’s ten sample CPACC questions
- Funka’s CPACC Certification Program
- Hearcolors’ on-demand CPACC preparation course (Spanish)
- Apply to take the IAAP CPACC exam (Note: There must be an open exam session to apply.)
- IAAP Continuing Accessibility Education Credits guidelines
- IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) exam
- WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards
- Adobe Color Accessibility Tool
- W3C’s Getting Started in Designing for Web Accessibility
Big shoutout to my co-worker, Zach Bailes, for his support and guidance on accessibility practices and the CPACC exam.
