The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to create a world of endless possibilities for people who are blind or have low vision. At AFB Talent Lab, we’re working to make the world more accessible to millions of people with disabilities by training the next generation of tech industry talent in the fundamental accessibility skills and concepts necessary to design and build a more inclusive digital world.

But providing training isn’t enough if this new knowledge can’t be applied in the real world. AFB Talent Lab is committed to facilitating connections between our participants, our client partners, and the greater tech industry. One way we’re working to forge these connections is through digital credentials.

How We Use Digital Credentials

AFB Talent Lab has partnered with Credly to provide digital credentials to our participants and learners. Our digital credentials are aligned to our Program Standards and Core Competencies, meaning each achievement relates directly to a participant or learner’s work in their AFB Talent Lab program. We issue 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.

For Badge Earners

Digital badges can be used in email signatures or digital resumes, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. This digital image contains verified metadata that describes your qualifications and the process required to earn them. We encourage you to share your digital credentials wherever you can!

For Employers, Clients, Partners, and the General Public

Digital badges are a secure, verifiable representation of an AFB Talent Lab participant or learner’s skills and achievements in our education and training programs. Each badge is linked to detailed meta-data that describes the specific criteria the badge holder met to earn the badge. When you see an AFB Talent lab digital badge on LinkedIn or in a resume, you can be sure the earner possesses the skills and competencies outlined in the badge description. We encourage you to explore our collection of digital badges, which will continue to evolve as our programs develop.

Additional Resources

Credly Digital Badge Explainer Video

How to Claim & Use an AFB Talent Lab Digital Credential

For Interns & Apprentices

You'll earn digital badges at key milestones in the program. If you have any questions about what's required to earn a particular badge, be sure to check with your program mentor. Here's what happens once you've earned a badge:

  1. Badges will be issued within two weeks of the date the badge was earned.
  2. Once the badge has been issued, you’ll receive an email from Credly inviting you to accept your badge. Emails are sent from admin@credly.com.
  3. Click the button in the email.
  4. Create and confirm your Credly account. If you already have a Credly account, you'll need to log in at this time.
  5. Accept your badge and check out the badge meta-data.
  6. Share your badge via social media, email signature, or on your resume. You can return to your profile to share your badge anytime.

Credly Explainer Video on Claiming Badges

For further instructions, please visit this Credly Support page on claiming and managing your digital credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is an open badge?

A: Open badges are web-enabled versions of a credential, certification or learning outcome which can be verified in real-time, online.

Q: How does my achievement get displayed as a badge?

A: We have partnered with Credly to translate the learning outcomes you’ve demonstrated into a badge, issued and managed through our digital badging platform. The technology Credly uses is based on the Open Badge Standards maintained by IMS Global. This enables you to manage, share and verify your competencies digitally.

Q: What are the benefits of a badge?

A: Representing your skills as a badge gives you a way to share your abilities online in a way that is simple, trusted and can be easily verified in real time. Badges provide employers and peers concrete evidence of what you had to do to earn your credential and what you’re now capable of. Credly also offers labor market insights, based on your skills. You can search and apply for job opportunities right through Credly.

Q: Who is Credly?

A: Credly is the end-to-end solution for issuing and managing digital credentials. Credly works with credible organizations to provide digital credentials to individuals, worldwide.

Q: How will I know if I’ve earned a badge?

A: You will receive an email notification from Credly (admin@credly.com) with instructions for claiming your badge and setting up your account.

Q: What if I don’t want my badge to be public?

A: You can easily configure your privacy settings in Credly. You’re in complete control of the information about yourself that is made public.

Q: Is there a fee to use Credly?

A: No. This is a service we provide to you, at no cost.

Q: What’s to keep someone else from copying my badge and using it?

A: While badges are simply digital image files, they are uniquely linked to data hosted on Credly. This link to verified data makes them more reliable and secure than a paper-based certificate. It also eliminates the possibility of anyone claiming your credential and your associated identity.

Q: Where and how can I share my badge through Credly?

A: You can share your badge directly from Credly to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook; over email; embedded in a website or in your email signature.

Q: What are labor market insights and how can I access them through Credly?

A: Labor market insights are pulled from live job requisitions. Based on your skills you can learn which employers are hiring, what job titles you might be qualified for, salary ranges and more. Search active job listings and even apply for them with just a few clicks through Credly. Access the labor market insights from your badge details page by clicking on Related Jobs, or by clicking on the skill tags assigned to your badge.

Q: Can I export badges issued through Credly to other badge-storing platforms?

A: Yes, you can download your badge from the Share Badge page. Your downloaded badge contains Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI) compliant metadata embedded into the image. This allows you to store your badge on other OBI-compliant badge sites, such as the Badgr Backpack.

Q: Can I import badges issued from other platforms into Credly?

A: Not at this time.

Q: I have a question about Credly. Where can I find support?

A: badge earners can find step-by-step tutorials, video guides, and other resources on the Creadly Earner Support website.

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