Digital Accessibility Specialist
Also advertised as: Accessibility Consultant, accessibility test specialist, Accessibility Tester, accessibility testers, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Inclusive Design Specialist
Makes sure websites and applications can be used by people with disabilities.
What the job involves
Digital accessibility specialists audit websites and applications against accessibility standards, working with designers and developers to fix issues that affect disabled users. You test with screen readers and other assistive technology, write guidance and advise teams during design and development. Demand has grown alongside stricter accessibility regulation.
Typical responsibilities
- Audit websites and applications for accessibility issues
- Test using screen readers and assistive technology
- Advise designers and developers on fixes
- Write accessibility guidelines and training material
- Track compliance against accessibility standards
Common employers
- Government digital services
- Banks
- Charities
- Consultancies
- Universities
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£28,000 – £35,000 a year
With experience
£42,000 – £58,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours
Working environment
Office or remote
Remote working
remote
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- WCAG standards
- Assistive technology testing
- HTML and CSS basics
- Communication
- Report writing
- User research
Transferable skills you may already have
- UX or QA testing experience
- Empathy and user advocacy
- Attention to detail
Requirements employers ask for
- WCAG standards
- Assistive technology testing
- HTML and CSS basics
- Communication
- Report writing
- User research
- No formal qualification required
- test for behavioural patterns
- test for emotional patterns
- human-computer interaction
- use experience map
- replicate customer software issues
- assess users' interaction with ICT applications
- execute software tests
- levels of software testing
- address problems critically
- application usability
- execute ICT user research activities
- conduct research interview
Useful but not essential
- UX or QA testing experience
- Empathy and user advocacy
- Attention to detail
- IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies
- Level 4 UX Design apprenticeship
- W3C accessibility training
- give live presentation
- ICT project management methodologies
- N1QL
- manage schedule of tasks
- MDX
- SPARQL
- XQuery
- cognitive psychology
Helpful qualifications
- IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies
- Level 4 UX Design apprenticeship
- W3C accessibility training
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- User Experience Design (Level 4)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Computing
- Related subject: Design
- Related subject: Psychology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Accessibility Specialist
next
Head of Inclusive Design
next
UX Research Lead
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Meaningful work improving access for disabled users
- Growing demand from regulation and public sector requirements
- Respected specialism within design and development teams
What people find hard
- Accessibility can be deprioritised under project deadlines
- Requires convincing teams to change existing work
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a digital accessibility specialist?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a digital accessibility specialist earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £28,000 to £35,000 a year, rising towards £58,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include UX or QA testing experience, Empathy and user advocacy, Attention to detail.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 16 September 2026.
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