Accessibility (a11y) Specialist

Accessibility (a11y) Specialist — Digital Forms Modernization

Role overview

XTGlobal is seeking an Accessibility Specialist to validate and improve the accessibility of web forms being modernized on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). Working alongside developers, QA, and business analysts, you will evaluate AEM Adaptive Forms — converted from legacy Adobe (LiveCycle/XFA) and HTML forms — against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, identify conformance gaps, and provide clear, actionable remediation guidance.

You will act as the team's accessibility subject-matter expert, helping shift accessibility into design and development so that compliance is built in rather than retrofitted — reducing rework and ensuring forms reach client review already conformant.

Key responsibilities

●        Evaluate AEM Adaptive Forms for conformance to WCAG 2.1 Level AA (and Section 508 / applicable standards) using both automated tooling and structured manual testing.

●        Perform manual accessibility testing with assistive technologies — screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack), keyboard-only navigation, screen magnification, and high-contrast / zoom / reflow scenarios.

●        Validate the elements most critical to accessible forms, including:

○        Focus & tab order — logical, predictable keyboard focus order across all fields and controls.

○        Labels, headers & help text — programmatically associated field labels and headers, accessible tooltips and instructional text, and correct formatting/markup.

○        Input prompts & instructions — clear prompts, required-field indication, and format/constraint guidance presented accessibly.

○        Error handling — accessible error identification, descriptive messaging, correction suggestions, and proper formatting/announcement via ARIA live regions and error-to-field association.

●        Review broader form accessibility: semantic structure, name/role/value, color contrast, focus visibility, target size, reflow, timeouts, and dynamic/status messages.

●        Provide developer-friendly remediation guidance mapped to specific WCAG success criteria, with concrete, AEM-appropriate recommendations at the HTML / CSS / ARIA level.

●        Partner with design and development during grooming to define accessible patterns and a reusable accessible component library and contribute accessibility criteria to the team's Definition of Done.

●        Integrate and triage automated accessibility checks (axe-core / axe DevTools, WAVE, Lighthouse, IBM Equal Access, Pa11y) filtering false positives and confirming findings manually.

●        Produce accessibility audit findings, conformance reports, and supporting documentation (e.g., VPAT / ACR) for internal and client review.

●        Verify accessibility of generated documents (e.g., tagged / accessible PDFs) where forms produce them.

●        Support UAT and client accessibility reviews; retest and track defects to closure.

●        Mentor developers and QA on accessible development and testing practices and keep the team current on evolving standards (WCAG 2.1 / 2.2, WAI-ARIA, ADA Title II, Section 508).

Requirements

Required qualifications

●        3+ years of hands-on digital accessibility testing and remediation experience.

●        Strong, practical command of WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria; working knowledge of WAI-ARIA and Section 508.

●        Proficiency with assistive technologies (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack) and manual testing techniques, including keyboard-only operation.

●        Hands-on experience with automated accessibility tools (axe, WAVE, Lighthouse, ANDI, IBM Equal Access, or Pa11y).

●        Ability to read and interpret HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and ARIA well enough to diagnose issues and advise developers on fixes.

●        Demonstrated experience testing web forms specifically — labels, fieldsets/grouping, dynamic content, and error handling.

●        Excellent written communication for remediation guidance and audit reporting; a collaborative, advisory working style.

Preferred qualifications

●        Experience with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms / Adaptive Forms and/or legacy Adobe LiveCycle (XFA) forms.

●        UI/UX design experience (interaction design, usability, design systems) — a plus, but not required.

●        Accessibility certification such as IAAP CPACC or WAS (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies / Web Accessibility Specialist), or DHS Trusted Tester.

●        Accessible document (PDF / PDF-UA) remediation experience.

●        Public-sector / government project experience and familiarity with VPAT/ACR authoring.

●        Familiarity with WCAG 2.2 (the current published version) in addition to 2.1.

What success looks like

●        Forms reach client review already conformant — accessibility is confirmed, not discovered late.

●        Developers have clear, reusable accessible patterns, and repeat findings decline over time.

●        Accessibility defects are caught early, documented clearly, and closed efficiently.