[Hiring] Digital Accessibility Undergraduate Intern @University of Virginia

Role Description

Help make the University of Virginia’s digital content accessible to everyone. Digital Accessibility Interns perform high-volume remediation of PDF document files for UVA staff. As a Digital Accessibility Intern, you will learn to use industry-standard tools to identify and fix accessibility barriers in PDF documents by gaining the skills that are increasingly sought after in government, education, and technology sectors. Interns will work in small teams of other undergraduate students led by a Graduate Digital Accessibility Lead Intern, who will assign tasks, provide day-to-day direction, and check the quality of remediated documents. UVA's Digital Accessibility Coordinator will supervise this program. Students with attention to detail who are passionate about equity in information access are encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do

• Production Work (approximately 85% of effort)
  • Manage high-priority and escalated accessibility remediation requests.
  • Remediate PDFs and digital documents to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and PDF/UA standards.
  • Ensure proper reading order, tagging, headings, alt text, color contrast, and metadata.
  • Review and remediate complex content, including tables, charts, and multi-column layouts.
  • Write or acquire descriptive alternative text for images and figures.
  • Follow team processes and standards of practice.
  • Utilize tools such as Adobe Acrobat Pro, Equidox, SensusAccess, and PAC.
  • Meet established deadlines for assignments and tasks, submitting completed tasks to the Graduate Digital Accessibility Lead Intern for review.
  • Update work log in the tracking system.
• General Team Responsibilities (approximately 15% of effort)
  • Attend both in-person and virtual onboarding and training.
  • Participate in weekly virtual team check-ins and engage in program improvement discussions.
  • Speak up proactively when questions or concerns arise.

This position will start as soon as possible and last through the end of the academic year (May 7, 2027). Submit a CV/resume as well as a cover letter describing your commitment to digital accessibility, prior relevant experience, and related skills.

Qualifications

• Current UVA undergrad student.
• Strong attention to detail and willingness to learn new software.
• Good written communication skills.
• Interest in accessibility or inclusive design (no prior experience required).

Requirements

• Federal work-study students are eligible to apply.
• Training is provided. No prior accessibility knowledge required. All majors are welcome.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Word accessibility features, or HTML/document structure concepts.
• Previous practice with PDF editing, document formatting, or accessibility remediation.
• Interest in digital accessibility and/or disability studies.
• Understanding of document version control and best practices for shared file management.

Physical Demands

• This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers.
• Remote work is possible after an initial training period.

Weekly Hours

• Up to 10 hours/week during the semester.
• Hourly Rate: $18/hour.

Company Description

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.