Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Thu, 20 May 2021 12:58:25 -0400
accessibility, awareness, day, global

May 20, 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This annual event is designed to engage people around the world in talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion for people with different disabilities. Additional information about GAAD is available at the link below.

Challenge yourself with the following events:

Take the No Mouse Challenge - check out a favorite page without using a mouse

Check the accessibility of one of your papers or presentations - for Microsoft products it's under the Review menu.

Image description matters - it must be meaningful - check out the Alt-Text as Poetry initiative and see how visual content on a favorite website stacks up.. You can also go all-in with an accessibility checker. Take action right now in helping make digital content accessible by reporting concerns or issue found to website managers so improvements can be made.

Faculty can navigate this challenge with Blackboard - check out all the tools within Ally to support accessible course content. If your courses are not already in Blackboard Ultra (603 are this Spring) more details about upgrading are here.

Practice creating your own accessible materials - here's a accessibility quick tip list (link) to get you started and round out the above challenges

UMBC supports website accessibility within their sites and uses Monsido to review websites for accessibility and improvement on a departmental and institutional level. Accessibility is dynamic, shifting with technology and upgrades, so we must remain aware and be pro-active to support first-rate digital experiences for all internet users.

Practice accessibility, share the knowledge, and make a difference!

Post is accompanied by a photo of a keyboard with a refreshable braille reader being used by a person with white hands and a plaid shirt. Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash