Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
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To celebrate GAAD, businesses and organisations can take steps to improve their digital accessibility. This includes conducting accessibility audits of their websites and applications, implementing accessible design and development practices, and providing training and resources for employees on accessibility best practices.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of May.
This year it is on May 19, and it aims to raise awareness and promote the importance of digital accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.
It was started in 2012 by Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion, who saw the need for more education and understanding of accessibility in the technology industry.
Jennison spent seven years at the Royal Bank of Canada working with their internal teams and vendors to ensure they meet the bank’s IT accessibility standards.
Joe is a serial entrepreneur who has been fostering the growth of the Los Angeles tech ecosystem since 2008. His experience includes co-founding at Diamond, an inclusive digital agency.
After seeing one of Joe’s tweets, Jennison contacted him and the rest is history.
GAAD has since grown to become a global event with participation from individuals, organisations, and companies from around the world.
Digital accessibility means that websites, applications, and other digital content are designed and developed in a way that makes them usable for people with disabilities.
This includes people with visual, auditory, physical, and cognitive disabilities. Inaccessible digital content can prevent people with disabilities from accessing information, services, and products that are available to others.
On GAAD, events and activities are organised worldwide to promote digital accessibility and raise awareness of its importance.
These events range from webinars and online workshops to in-person seminars and hackathons. They cover topics such as web accessibility, accessible design, and inclusive development.
The goal of these events is to provide education and resources to help individuals and organisations make their digital content more accessible.
Digital accessibility is not only important for people with disabilities, but it also benefits businesses and organisations.
Accessible content can increase the reach and engagement of products and services, as well as improve search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX). It can also help companies avoid legal issues related to accessibility compliance.
Several laws and standards exist that require digital content to be accessible, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
These laws and standards are in place to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from accessing digital content.
To celebrate GAAD, businesses and organisations can take steps to improve their digital accessibility. This includes conducting accessibility audits of their websites and applications, implementing accessible design and development practices, and providing training and resources for employees on accessibility best practices.
Local Peoples believes GAAD is an important event that promotes awareness and education about digital accessibility. It highlights the importance of making digital content accessible and inclusive for all, and encourages businesses and organisations to take steps to improve their accessibility.
By working towards a more accessible and inclusive digital world, we can create a more equitable and just society.
