Learn, explore, and have fun: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2023

Thursday, May 18, 2023, is the 12th annual celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This online global event raises awareness about why digital accessibility matters and how it impacts the more than one billion people worldwide who experience disabilities. Join people at Wake and around the world in spreading awareness and learning more about digital inclusion through accessibility.

Below are some interesting ways to celebrate GAAD. We hope you will join us in learning and sharing with others!

Fun

• Want to get a quick and fun understanding of web accessibility barriers and how to make more accessible web sites? Try out this Accessibility Maze from Ryerson University.
• If you mainly use a mouse or trackpad to navigate online, consider playing the hocus:focus game to learn more about how keyboard navigation works and the challenges that inaccessible web components create for people navigating with a keyboard.

Learn

• Sign up for a free virtual professional development event on June 15th! The Join the Journey: 2023 Digital Accessibility Conference offers a day of presentations for all NC higher ed faculty, staff, and students to learn more about inclusive communications, accessible document essentials, accessible tools, and more. The conference is organized by the NC Higher Ed Digital Accessibility Collaborative (a UNC Cause group).
• Check out our new audio series, A11Y Audio, to learn more about the basics of accessibility and enjoy interviews with partners from our campus community.
• Learning about technology accessibility is a journey! Whether you’re just starting off or you’ve been on the accessibility path for a while, you may encounter lingo that you’re not yet familiar with. Our new Technology Accessibility Glossary can help!
• Reach out to us to schedule a dedicated group or team training session on accessibility! We can share on topics like social media, document accessibility, Grackle, or captions.

Explore

• Check out #GAAD, #GAAD2023, and #a11y on social media to explore how others are working to make our digital world a more accessible place. Consider making a post of your own or resharing one from WFU IS!
• Join virtual events from SiteImprove during their day of GAAD for Good. Learn how to build without barriers.
• Check out a new tool to make your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides more accessible! Start using Grackle to gain accessibility benefits and learn some new concepts.

Thanks for celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2023 with us!