Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2013

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Wednesday, 17 April 2013 12:33pm

Thursday 9 May marks the second annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising the profile of web accessibility amongst web professionals. In Australia, there will be activities held in different cities to explore how accessibility, or lack thereof, impacts on the experience of using the web for people with disability.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) started after Los Angeles-based web developer Joe Devon suggested the idea on his blog. Canadian accessibility professional Jennison Asuncion spotted the post and offered his help to get the day off the ground.

This year, organisers are inviting web professionals to get a taste of what it’s like for the one in five people who have a disability. Some of the suggested activities include: 

  • Go mouseless for an hour and use your computer with a keyboard alone, in the same way a blind user would.
  • Try a screen reader. This simple piece of software that reads out what’s on screen is the primary method blind people use to access computers. Apple devices come with VoiceOver already installed and Windows users can download the free, open source Non-Visual Desktop Access.
  • Directly improve the accessibility of web content by captioning a video, or demonstrating how to implement accessibility in a video or blog post.

Individuals and organisations are encouraged to host their own events, publish tips and share their experiences of implementing accessibility. Email the organisers to let them know your plans and be promoted on the GAAD website.

Get in touch with the global accessibility community on and around 9 May via the GAAD Facebook page and the Twitter hashtag #GAAD.

To find out how to make web content accessible to all users, visit our sister site Access iQ.


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