Accessibility Professionals Association

What Accessibility Professionals Association does

The Accessibility Professionals Association (APA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1999 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. APA provides a forum, resources, and continuing education for accessibility professionals working in the built environment, serving accessibility specialists, ADA coordinators, architects, interior designers, engineers, building officials, inspectors, and facility owners. Its member base includes 326+ accessibility professionals listed in the public Hire a Professional directory, supported through two operational regional chapters (Texas and Rocky Mountain) and a Northeast Chapter Interest Group.

APA's core product is the APAC-BE (Accessibility in the Built Environment) certification, administered through a separate affiliated 501(c)(3) entity (EIN: 92-1701631). The APAC-BE received NCCA accreditation on June 16, 2026, making it the only nationally accredited third-party validated certification for accessibility professionals in the built environment. APA monetizes through four streams: annual membership dues (with a $20 per-member group discount for 5+ member organizations), APAC-BE exam fees ($590 member / $840 non-member, with $25 conference discounts), continuing education programs delivered via its registered provider relationships with AIA (Provider #G583), ICC (Preferred Provider #1321), and Florida DBPR (Provider #0007855), and transactional job posting services. The organization operates with 7 employees, an all-volunteer board led by 2026 President Walter L Rocky Qualls, and a lean community-led, event-driven go-to-market anchored by an annual National Conference (2027: San Antonio with Gordon Hartman of Morgan's Wonderland as keynote).

Name

Accessibility Professionals Association

Legal name

Accessibility Professionals Association

Website

https://apaaccess.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Accessibility Professionals Association (APA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides continuing education, networking, and the NCCA-accredited APAC-BE certification for accessibility professionals, architects, and building officials working in the built environment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALALAO

Accessibility, Building Compliance & ADA Facilities Operations

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Campus Facilities, Maintenance & Operations

Keywords

• Accessibility certification programs
• Built environment compliance
• Professional association services
• Continuing professional education
• Accessibility standards training

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: APA generates revenue through annual membership dues from individual and group members. Group memberships offer $20 per member discount for businesses with 5+ members.
2. APAC-BE Certification Exams: Revenue from certification exam administration including application fees ($500 member, $750 non-member) and testing fees ($115). Discounts available for conference-based exams.
3. Continuing Education Programs: APA is a registered CE provider with AIA (Provider #G583), Florida DBPR (Provider #0007855), ICC (Preferred Provider #1321), and offers pre-verified credits for ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program. Revenue generated through CE course delivery and provider accreditations.
4. Job Posting Services: APA offers job posting services for members to post job openings to the APA community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APA provides the APAC-BE (Accessibility in the Built Environment) professional certification — the only NCCA-accredited certification for accessibility professionals working in the built environment — alongside individual and group professional membership, the annual National Conference, regional training programs such as the Texas Accessibility Academy, and continuing education credit opportunities. It also maintains a "Hire a Professional" directory connecting certified accessibility practitioners with organizations seeking expertise, and offers scholarships such as the Jim Boyce Memorial Scholarship.

Product overview

The Accessibility Professionals Association (APA) operates as a membership-based professional organization rather than a traditional technology product company. The core offering is the APAC-BE (Accessibility in the Built Environment) certification program, which received NCCA accreditation in June 2026 and is the only nationally accredited certification for accessibility professionals. APA supplements its certification with professional membership, the Texas Accessibility Academy training program, the Excellence in Accessible Design Education (EADE) advocacy initiative, the annual Jim Boyce Memorial Scholarship, and the National Conference. Additional services include a professional directory for hiring accessibility consultants, exam registration services, and chapter affiliations (Texas Chapter and Rocky Mountain Chapter). The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing continuing education credits through registered provider relationships with AIA, ICC, and Florida DBPR.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APAC-BE: The only national, third-party validated certification for accessibility professionals in the built environment, accredited by NCCA.

Products and services

• APAC-BE Certification Exam

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 applications received for the Jim Boyce Memorial Scholarship, demonstrating strong interest in the profession

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Institute of Architects (AIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA is a registered continuing education provider with AIA/CES (Provider #G583), allowing APA to offer AIA-approved continuing education credits to members and professionals in the architecture field.
• International Code Council (ICC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA is an ICC Preferred Provider (#1321) and actively participates in ICC code change cycles. APA successfully advocated for adding peephole requirements to the 2027 International Building Code.
• ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program (ACTCP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA offers pre-verified continuing education credits for the ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program, helping ADA coordinators maintain their credentials.
• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA is a registered CE provider with Florida DBPR (Provider #0007855 / License #PVD312), enabling Florida-licensed professionals to earn APA-provided CE credits.
• Morgan's WonderlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe 2027 APA National Conference in San Antonio will include an optional field trip to Morgan's Wonderland, the world's first Ultra-Accessible theme park founded by keynote speaker Gordon Hartman.
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDLR accepts APA training for CE requirements for Texas accessibility professionals. Many APA programs directly support Texas Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS) credential maintenance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HR Certification Institute (HRCI): HRCI administers PHR/SPHR/GPHR certifications via a nonprofit professional association model with member dues, exam fees, and recertification CE. Business-model analogue to APA's APAC-BE program for HR practitioners, though in a different functional domain.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA): AIA is a core APA partner and a comparable membership-based professional association for architects, offering CE, advocacy, and credential-adjacent services. APA operates a much narrower accessibility niche within AIA's broader architect membership universe.
• (ISC)²: (ISC)² is a nonprofit professional association offering CISSP and other certifications using the same membership + exam + annual maintenance fee / CPE model. Useful benchmark for monetization of a single high-value credential inside a nonprofit association.
• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB): NCARB is the architecture profession's certification and reciprocity body, sharing APA's exam-plus-CEU-plus-membership revenue mix and serving overlapping audiences of architects and design professionals. It operates at much larger scale but mirrors the model of a credentialing association for built-environment practitioners.
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): USGBC runs the LEED credentialing program for sustainable building professionals using an analogous model: nonprofit association, professional certification, recurring CE, member directory, and chapter structure. Highly comparable business-model archetype for APA's APAC-BE enterprise.

Emerging players

• ADA National Network: The ADA National Network provides training, technical assistance, and information on the ADA via 10 regional centers, partially overlapping APA's accessibility education and outreach mandate. It is federally funded rather than member-funded, so it is a partial competitor and potential channel for APA content.
• RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America): RESNA is a nonprofit professional association for assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering practitioners, offering the ATP and SMS credentials. Comparable membership/certification/CE business model, though with an assistive-tech rather than built-environment focus.

Direct peers

• International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP): IAAP is a professional association certifying accessibility professionals, offering the CPACC and WAS credentials. It is the closest direct peer to APA: both monetize membership + certification + continuing education among accessibility professionals, though IAAP leans digital/web while APA specializes in the built environment.
• International Code Council (ICC): ICC is a core APA partner and a comparable certification/membership body serving building code officials with credentialing, training, and CE programs. It is the dominant counterparty in code-setting and provides similar member-exam-CEO offerings, though broader scope across all building codes versus APA's accessibility focus.

Regional players

• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation - Architectural Barriers Program: Texas TDLR administers the state Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS) program that complements APAC-BE. APA's TDLR-accepted CE directly serves RAS credential holders, making TDLR the regulatory twin and primary demand driver for APA in Texas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/160450904016330
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/accessibility-professionals-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/apaaccess

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Accessibility Professionals Association