Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a day on the third Thursday of every May (this year – May 16, 2024) to raise awareness about digital access and inclusion.  GAAD tries to get everyone thinking, talking, and learning about digital accessibility.  The term “A11y” in the title stands for accessibility and sounds the same as ‘ally,’ introducing the wordplay of being an accessibility ally. A numeronym is a number-based word with 11 for the number of letters between the letters a and y. A11y often appears on social media platforms as #a11y because space is limited and every character counts.

JHU Accessibility is using this awareness day to present some educational talks and panels on accessibility throughout April and May. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility! We will be presenting on steps that JHU faculty, staff and students can take to make their digital materials more accessible. Use the title links below to register for each webinar.

• Thursday, April 24, 2024 from 11 am – 12 pm ET
  Demystifying STEM Accessibility for Students Who Are Blind or Low Vision– a talk with guest speaker Dr. Cary Supalo of Educational Testing Service.  The landscape for students who are blind or low vision (BLV) is currently in a time of dynamic transition with new innovative access technologies becoming available to the BLV community. The days of students with BLV working with sighted lab assistance although important at times, is gradually shifting to more inclusive hands-on learning experiences. Join us as Cary outlines some of these technologies (talking lab tools, immersive experiences, and AI) that can be used to create a more inclusive STEM workforce. 
• Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 12 pm – 4 pm ET
  Ivy Plus Digital Accessibility Half Day Webinar – join members of the Ivy Plus Universities Digital Accessibility group to learn about implementing accessibility practices in higher education.  Topics will include Designing for Accessibility, Progress over Perfection, Do it Yourself Accessibility Testing and a panel discussion on various accessibility topics. 
• Tuesday, May 14, 2024 from 1 pm – 2 pm ET
  Digital Accessibility – a User Perspective — Digital accessibility is everyone’s responsibility and is part of inclusion. Learn about the effects of digital inclusion on real users! We will be joined by a three member panel of JHU community members with disabilities (Dr. Bonnielin Swenor, Kerry Devlin and Alexandra “Zandy” Wong ’24) and get their perspectives on the importance of accessibility in their work, research and day-to-day lives.  What has helped them in their journeys, what has hindered them and what advice can they give us as content creators?

All events will have ASL interpretation and live transcription.  If you need other accommodations to fully participate in the JHU events, please email [email protected] . Please see the Ivy Plus registration website to request accommodation for that event.