Product Manager - Accessibility

Impact: Accessibility and inclusive product design

Manages accessibility initiatives and inclusive product design. Focuses on WCAG compliance, accessibility features, and inclusive design practices.

From people doing the work

Day-to-day involves a lot of collaboration with design, engineering, and legal teams to ensure products are usable by everyone. It's satisfying to see the impact of inclusive design, but it also requires constant advocacy and staying updated on evolving standards.

Drawn from A11y Slack, W3C WAI, Deque Systems Blog

Attribution: Composite

Composite · Synthesised from A11y Slack, W3C WAI, Deque Systems Blog

A day in the life of a Product Manager - Accessibility

People interaction
Extensive
Team vs solo
65% Team / 35% Solo
Client facing
Frequent
Impact visibility
Very High
Travel
Low
Schedule flexibility
Flexible
Remote work
Hybrid
Typical work hours
40-45 hours/week
Stress level
Moderate

Product Manager - Accessibility salary, education and outlook at a glance

Median salary
$130,000
Entry-level
$80,000 - $105,000
Senior
$190,000
Growth by 2033
19% (faster than average)
Demand
Growing Fast
Freelance potential
Low
Salary growth potential
High (137% from entry to senior)
Typical student debt
Moderate

Skills you need as a Product Manager - Accessibility

Hard skills

  • WCAG Compliance
  • Accessibility Auditing
  • Inclusive Design

Soft skills

  • Empathy
  • Advocacy
  • Communication

Technical complexity: Moderate

Tools of the trade

Core tools

  • WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) (Standard): Provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities.
  • JAWS (Job Access With Speech) (Software): A widely used screen reader that allows blind and low-vision users to navigate and interact with digital content.
  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) (Software): A free and open-source screen reader for Microsoft Windows, enabling visually impaired users to access computers.

Commonly used

  • Axe DevTools (Toolkit): An accessibility testing tool that integrates into development workflows to identify and fix accessibility issues early.
  • Figma (Software): A collaborative interface design tool used for creating accessible UI/UX designs and prototypes.

Specialist tools

  • UserTesting (Service): A platform for conducting user research and gathering feedback from diverse user groups, including those with disabilities.

How to become a Product Manager - Accessibility

Minimum education
Bachelor's Degree
Licensing
No
Years to mid-career
3-5 years
Years to senior
8-12 years
Career switching
Moderate

Where this career leads

How people arrive here

  • UX Designer: A UX Designer can transition to an Accessibility Product Manager by focusing on inclusive design principles and accessibility standards.
  • Quality Assurance Engineer: A QA Engineer with a focus on testing and identifying bugs can pivot to this role by specializing in accessibility testing and compliance.
  • Technical Writer: A Technical Writer can leverage their understanding of clear communication and documentation to manage accessibility guidelines and content.

Where you can go from here

  • Senior Product Manager - Accessibility: Advancing to a senior role involves leading larger accessibility initiatives and mentoring junior product managers.
  • Accessibility Lead: An Accessibility Lead focuses on setting the overall accessibility strategy and driving its implementation across multiple products or teams.
  • Product Director: A Product Director oversees a portfolio of products, potentially including accessibility as a key strategic pillar.

Typical progression

  1. Accessibility PM
  2. Senior PM
  3. Accessibility Lead
  4. Product Manager

Product Manager - Accessibility job outlook and future demand

Automation probability
8%, low risk
AI disruption risk
Low
Demand trend
Growing Fast

Job satisfaction as a Product Manager - Accessibility

Overall satisfaction
7.9/10
Meaning
8.3/10
Work-life balance
7.5/10
Prestige
7.3/10
Social perception
Very High

Where practitioners gather

Professional organisations

  • W3C WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative): An initiative by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that develops strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.

Conferences

Podcasts and media

  • Deque Systems Blog: Provides articles and insights on web accessibility, compliance, and inclusive design from a leading accessibility software company.
  • Accessibility Weekly: A curated weekly newsletter featuring the latest news, articles, and resources in the field of digital accessibility.

Online communities

  • A11y Slack: A large and active Slack community for accessibility professionals to share knowledge and discuss best practices.

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