Participate Directly - GAAD

On the 3rd Thursday of May, we encourage designers, developers, usability professionals, and everyone else to take an hour to experience first-hand the impact of digital accessibility (or lack thereof).
The GAAD Foundation gratefully acknowledges Jennifer Smith for getting in touch and offering to update this page’s content.
More people are learning about access and inclusion thanks to Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Next, we can move from awareness to action with some simple steps no matter what industry or role you have. Everyone can play a part in the community as we are stronger together.
The following tips can help you jump start or help create your own ideas. So, pick one thing, dive in and act.
If you’re a subject matter expert, look no further than this great list of actionable ideas for GAAD.
Almost everyone has a social media account, and this is a great place to dig in. Learn to create flexible social media posts so they adapt no matter how we consume content. Ready…set…go:
Go deeper with Accessible-Social.com. It includes guides, glossaries, and platform updates. It also has help to take you to the next level in accessible social media.
Accessibility starts from the moment you begin planning. An inclusive event means people with diverse needs know if, how, and when they can request what they need.
To make an in-person event truly accessible, you can open it up to online attendees and make it hybrid. The tips here also hold true for online only events.
You can start with this Accessible Event Guide. Also, check out the Accessibility Conference Guide to witness a lot of these tips at an event.
While the field is growing, there is still more demand than can be filled. When looking for speakers and experts, keep these things in mind:
Notable accessibility conferences around the world have great speakers to draw from. So do professional networks such as LinkedIn and local MeetUp groups. Each have their own specialized way of helping you search for the right person to fulfill your needs.
There are more online references than we can list on this page. But, here’s a short one to help you focus your work. With the top million website home pages in the world still inaccessible, there’s easy work to do.
If you love learning, dig in! You can check out the Fundamentals Overview from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Or use the MagentaA11y Checklist to apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You’ll find endless creative ways to build a more inclusive digital world. And if this is your niche, there are several places to go for continuing education online:
For folks in procurement or supply chains, you can also play a role! Disability touches every part of our lives. It impacts employees, customers, and consumers in a permanent, temporary, or situational way. Buying accessible products creates more marketplace demand and provides adaptable support for everyone.
Thanks to contributions of the superb worldwide community of accessibility professionals! It takes us all working in harmony to build a more accessible world both online and in person. This is a short list of contributors whose work informed this page. You may want to follow them online for more tips, info, and tools to help you grow. Many more contributed to this page who were not named or chose to stay anonymous. Our gratitude overflows for their tireless dedication to our community.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a program of the GAAD Foundation.
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