Case Study: George Mason University & The Trusted Tester

So simple, yet so brilliant! George Mason University (GMU) leveraged the Trusted Tester Conformance Test Process Certification, TTV5, creating a cohort of accessibility specialists and advocates.

Provided by The Department of Homeland Security, the Trusted Tester Conformance Test Process certification is a program that promotes a unified testing methodology for evaluating accessibility, compliance, and conformity. Individuals who take part in this program gain knowledge about the application of Section 508 Standards to the web, the utilization of web accessibility testing tools, and the implementation of TTV5 processes in website and web application testing.

During their poster presentation, Leveraging the Trusted Tester for Web Certification to improve Mason's web accessibility response, at the Higher Education Web Professionals Association (#HEWeb) Annual Conference, George Mason’s Kristine Neuber and Korey Singleton highlighted the steps they took to put together this amazing program.

One thing they did was to offer incentives. Each participant was paid $250 for their time. As someone who is currently studying for the TTV5 certification, this was exciting to learn. "Trust me," the TTV5 certification program is a lot of content.

Also offered as an incentive is a badge. The Trusted Tester for Web Fundamentals badge, to be exact. What an excellent way to recognize participants for their work in acquiring the knowledge and skillset to become an asset and a resource for accessibility remediation and advocacy.

In my opinion, the best part of the presentation was the data they gathered that showed the strong correlation between improvements in detecting and remediating accessibility errors on 89 GMU homepages and successful participation in the TTV5 certification course.

Looking at that data, I was curious if a TTV5 certification is required for GMU website managers to have an account in DubBot. I asked that question, and Kristine said, "No, anyone who manages a Mason website can have access to DubBOT. In fact, I use the list of DubBOT users to advertise available training opportunities provided through our office."

DubBot is proud to have been part of this research project as the tool used for the automated accessibility audit. We appreciate the support and shoutout from such a wonderful client.