Daniel Westfall, CPWA

About Me & Mission

Certified digital accessibility leader, automation architect, and front-end consultant who bridges the gap between regulatory requirements, modern software engineering, and authentic user experience. Combines 18+ years of technical quality assurance, laboratory testing, and engineering compliance (Braun Intertec, Golder Associates) with over 4 years of specialized enterprise digital accessibility leadership at QuaverEd. Pioneered scalable compliance ecosystems: architecting AI-powered web and PDF crawlers across 17,077 screens and 8,000+ PDFs, engineering localized change-detection databases to eliminate regressions, auditing and providing remediation specifications for complex interactive creation suites in Vue.js, and authoring open-source knowledge platforms to future-proof digital assets for WCAG 3.0 and federal mandates.

Enterprise Impact by the Numbers

• 10,000,000+ Students, teachers, and creators impacted globally
• 28,000 Schools supported across all 50 U.S. states and 44 countries
• 95% Defect backlog reduction achieved in Jira/Asana over 4 years
• 17,077 Individual web screens continuously monitored across 8 curricula
• 8,000+ Complex digital documents and PDF resources remediated to 85% compliance
• 80% Acceleration in PDF remediation turnaround (from 5 days to 1 day per document) using AI automation
• 24 Core reusable UI components audited and verified in enterprise design systems
• 5 Cross-functional colleagues personally coached and mentored to earn IAAP CPACC certification

Professional Experience

• Direct enterprise digital accessibility strategy and governance across 20+ customer-facing digital applications, platforms, and curriculum ecosystems.
• Architected and deployed the automated axe-core + AI compliance dashboard monitoring 17,077 screens and 8,000+ PDFs.
• Engineered the localized change-detection database and automated scanner to catch unreviewed releases and eliminate regressions.
• Direct the accessibility roadmap to future-proof content for DOJ ADA Title II, Section 508, and WCAG 3.0 draft provisions, authoring the codea11y.dev/trackingwcag3 knowledge platform.
• Owned accessibility intake and operational backlog in Jira/Asana, achieving a 95% defect backlog reduction over 4 years and cutting critical compliance risks by 75%.
• Audited and verified 24 core UI design system components serving 10M+ users globally.
• Established structured user research channels partnering directly with screen reader power users and individuals with disabilities in User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

• Directed accessibility evaluations across 3,000+ screens, media players, and online documents against WCAG 2.2 AA and Section 508.
• Authored customized Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs / VPATs 2.4) across all product lines for state, municipal, and public school procurement.
• Designed and led internal accessibility training programs; personally coached and mentored 5 cross-functional team members to earn their IAAP CPACC credentials.
• Conducted rigorous manual screen reader audits (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) across dynamic interactive media and web applications.

• Conducted comprehensive manual and automated accessibility testing across 50+ web applications on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS, improving baseline compliance scores by 18% on average.
• Translated complex WCAG criteria into actionable code recommendations and bug fixes in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WAI-ARIA.

• Performed rigorous on-site quality assurance inspections and regulatory compliance evaluations on major engineering and construction infrastructure projects.
• Verified technical implementations against strict municipal codes, blueprint specifications, and statutory guidelines.
• Authored daily technical compliance documentation and communicated directly with project managers, civil engineers, and regulatory inspectors.

• Managed laboratory quality control, technical equipment calibration, and operational logistics for a premier global geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy.
• Developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and implemented comprehensive audit protocols to maintain strict data integrity and quality standards.

Signature Platforms & Technical Innovations

• Plain English WCAG 3.0 & 2.2 Knowledge Hub (codea11y.dev/trackingwcag3): 245 WCAG 3.0 draft provisions & 87 WCAG 2.2 criteria translated into practical, plain-English guidance with an automated weekly W3C sync pipeline.
• A11y Arcade (a11yarcade.onrender.com): Accessible, real-time multiplayer party game and solo training suite for CPACC certification mastery, featuring dynamic game modes (Hot Potato Syndicate, Apex Gambler Grand Prix), AI bot peers, and automated study hub.
• Automated AI & axe-core Compliance Dashboard: Centralized monitoring dashboard integrating axe-core, custom Python crawlers, and AI evaluation models across 17,077 screens and 8,000+ PDFs.
• Localized Change-Detection Database & Regression Catching: Periodically sweeps web platforms to detect DOM modifications and flag unreviewed agile updates before production.
• Automated Video & Media Accessibility Crawlers: Enforces WCAG 1.2 and CVAA time-based media compliance, verifying captions (CC), audio descriptions (AD), and transcripts.
• AI-Assisted PDF Remediation Pipeline: Utilizes Python and opendataloader-pdf to automate structural tag trees, accelerating turnaround by 80% across 8,000+ assets.
• QuaverMusic's "Creatives" Suite (Vue.js) Accessibility Architecture: Accessibility SME and Lead Auditor specifying keyboard snap-to-points with synchronized Audio Descriptions (AD) for video sound effects timelines, interactive sheet music editors, drum sequencers, and acoustic waveform synthesizers.

Technical Skills & Competencies

• Accessibility Standards & Frameworks: WCAG 2.2 / 2.1 (AA/AAA), W3C WCAG 3.0 Draft Tracking, DOJ ADA Titles II & III, Section 508, Section 504, CVAA, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act (EAA), WAI-ARIA 1.2, VPAT 2.4 / ACR Authoring.
• Assistive Technologies: JAWS (Certified), NVDA (Expert Certified), VoiceOver (iOS/macOS), ChromeVox, TalkBack, Native Keyboard-Only Navigation, Screen Magnification (ZoomText).
• Automation, AI & QA Testing: axe-core, axe DevTools Pro, WAVE, Python Web Crawlers & Bots, opendataloader-pdf, Localized Delta Databases, Media Scanners (CC, AD), CI/CD & GitHub Actions Integration.
• Development & UI Technologies: HTML5 (Semantic), CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), Vue.js, React, Next.js, MERN Stack, Design Systems & Component Libraries, REST APIs.
• Design & Collaboration Tools: Figma, Jira, Asana, VS Code, Git, GitHub, Adobe Acrobat Pro (TouchUp Reading Order / PAC 2021).
• Methodologies & Leadership: Shift-Left QA Strategy, Inclusive User Research (UAT with Disabled Users), Community of Practice Leadership, CPACC Mentorship, Public Sector Procurement Governance.

Credentials & Education

• CPWA (Certified Professional in Web Accessibility) — International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) | 2025
• WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist) — IAAP | 2025
• CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) — IAAP | 2024
• DHS Trusted Tester Certification (# TT-2204-02664) — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CXD | 2022
• JAWS Certified Individual — Freedom Scientific | 2023
• NVDA Expert Certified — NV Access Limited | 2023
• Google UX Design Professional Certificate — Google / Coursera | 2022
• Professional Certificate in Coding: Full Stack Development (MERN) — MIT xPro | 2021
• Associate of Arts (A.A.) in Multimedia & Web Design — The Art Institute of Atlanta | 2002