The AFB Talent Lab aims to meet the accessibility needs of the tech industry – and millions of people living with disabilities – through a unique combination of hands-on training and mentorship, created and developed by the digital inclusion experts at the American Foundation for the Blind.

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Who We Are

Demand for inclusive digital products is rising, but today’s tech designers and engineers simply aren’t being trained in accessibility skills. As a result, many organizations struggle to find the talent and resources they need to achieve their accessibility goals.

For over 20 years, AFB has been a leader in accessibility consulting and helping organizations achieve their immediate goals for digital inclusion. But solving immediate problems isn’t enough to meet the accessibility needs of an ever-changing industry.

We are transforming the future of digital inclusion by leveraging our skills to train the next generation of tech talent in inclusive design practices through a hands-on learning environment, meeting both the immediate and future needs of an increasingly diverse industry and world.

Digital Accessibility Internship

Students studying computer science or a related field build foundational skills in accessibility and digital inclusion in a multitiered experience, gaining hands-on experience in this rapidly growing field. Learn more about the Digital Accessibility Internship.

Usability Specialist Apprenticeship

Adults with disabilities learn foundational skills through an immersive experience who seek to become usability specialists and help build accessible digital spaces. This program includes foundational coursework, job shadowing and mentorship, and opportunities for hands-on interaction with clients on real-world projects. More information coming soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate in the AFB Talent Lab?

Each of our programs has specific eligibility requirements. Please review the information on our website for more details:

How are participants selected to join the AFB Talent Lab?

Candidates for our Digital Accessibility Internship and Apprenticeship programs are selected through a competitive application and interview process. A limited number of intern and apprentice positions are available through the program each application cycle.

What does an AFB Talent Lab participant do?

AFB Talent Lab interns and apprentices complete foundational coursework in digital inclusion, participate in hands-on activities, assignments, and assessments, and work collaboratively with other participants and a program mentor throughout the program. As the programs progress, participants become more involved in real-world accessibility projects, gaining the opportunity to participate in or lead engagements with actual AFB clients.

How do participants earn a digital credential?

AFB Talent Lab issues digital badges to participants as they demonstrate competency in key skill areas, reach personal or program milestones, or contribute to the ongoing development of the program itself. Learn more about our digital badge program here.

Who created the AFB Talent Lab curriculum and content?

The AFB Talent Lab was conceived and developed by the accessibility and digital inclusion experts at the American Foundation for the Blind based on over 20 years of experience in authentic, high-impact digital accessibility consulting. All program content and digital badges are aligned to the AFB Talent lab Standards & Core Competencies, which are in turn based on our expert knowledge and experience as well as industry-recognized standards like WCAG and CVAA. Review our Program Standards and Learning Targets here..

Who do I contact with other questions?

Please Contact the AFB Talent Lab with any questions about our education and training programs or consulting services.

Transcript

Narrator: The AFB Talent Lab is an innovative new education experience with the goal of closing the accessibility skills gap. Darren Burton, Accessibility Specialist, and AFB Talent Lab mentor.

Darren: When I was in Silicon Valley working for Yahoo, I interviewed and trained over a thousand engineers, but only a tiny handful of them had any knowledge of accessibility at all, much less the knowledge to build inclusive products. And, more often than not, once I got an engineer trained up, she'd get poached by another company.

Narrator: Because accessibility talent is so difficult to find, products often end up being inaccessible to people with disabilities. The Talent Lab is an effort to train engineers with these skills before they enter the workforce.

Kristin Reuschel, AFB Talent Lab Program and Curriculum manager.

Kristin: When we first started with the Talent Lab, we made a major effort to figure out what was already really out there. And what we found was that there's a lot of great resources but not really anything comprehensive. So, we really had to start from scratch.

Narrator: The Talent Lab has an internship opportunity for undergraduate engineer and design students and an apprenticeship program for dedicated accessibility professionals.

Kristin: So for this program, we're going to be leveraging pair-testing and project-based learning as the principal strategies for teaching critical thinking skills, particularly with accessibility and inclusion.

Darren: It's so important to teach engineers to have empathy for the users, understanding how people with disabilities actually use technology, so they can build inclusive products. It's not enough to just bolt a little bit of accessibility on at the end and say it's good enough. Accessibility has to be ingrained into, the entire process so that we build products that are usable by people like me who use assistive technology.

Narrator: The AFB Talent Lab conducts real-world accessibility projects drawing on AFB's 20 years of experience helping companies make apps and websites accessible. We're focused on scaling our impact by making all of our resources open source, conducting research, and developing student projects. Hanna Fugulin, AFB Talent Lab Intern Ambassador.

Hanna: I'm really excited about all the opportunities the AFB Talent Lab has to offer students wanting to become more well-rounded. Not only do we get digital badges that we get to show off in our resumes and connected to partnerships wanting to hire us, but we also get to learn and do a lot of good.

Darren: I can't tell you how many times I found a problem that could have been avoided if we just had someone in the room that could guide the team to a more inclusive solution.

Kristin: Right now we're looking for partners to help the Talent Lab grow. We're looking for sponsors for both participants and for the content. We're looking for participants who want to join us and learn these accessibility and inclusion skills. And we're also looking for companies who want to partner with us, so they can tap into this great talent.

Narrator: For more information, please visit afb.org/talentlab.