History

Discussions about the need for a professional organisation for accessibility professionals have been ongoing for a long time. One of several parallel initiatives eventually led to the formation of IAAP. It was a long journey where a group of enthusiasts from major IT vendors, universities, non-profit organisations and accessibility experts worked together towards a common goal.

The need was based on the fact that it has been difficult to demonstrate knowledge of accessibility, partly because only a handful of universities include the subject in their curricula. This has meant that anyone can actually claim to be an expert. In addition, the market for accessibility expertise is fragmented. Europe has few and mostly small companies, non-for-profit and/or end user organisations offering services, North America has a number of larger as well as several mid-sized and smaller players. Given the demand, the supply is far too narrow, no matter where you look. For large IT generalists, recruitment is difficult and training is resource-intensive. For those looking to buy expertise, it is difficult to know which suppliers know what they are talking about.

Founded in 2013, IAAP now has over 5000 members in more than 100 countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The goal is to make “Accessibility Expert” a real profession through training and certification.

In July 2016, IAAP became part of G3ict, a global initiative for inclusive IT. G3ict itself was launched ten years earlier by the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

G3ict’s mission is to facilitate and support the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the area of accessible ICT and assistive technology. The organisation is based on an international network of accessibility experts with the common goal of developing and promoting good practices, technical resources and advocacy. G3ict is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Atlanta, USA.

In 2017, IAAP Nordic was established – the first non-English speaking local chapter, covering the entire Nordic region. The chapter is run by the Funka Foundation and has members in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The page was updated: December 13, 2023