Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated on the third Thursday of May each year. In 2024, GAAD falls on May 16th. According to accessibility.day, “The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access / inclusion and people with different disabilities.”

We’re celebrating GAAD this year at Inclusive Pixelation with a free webinar discussion on Accessibility at Work. You can get the details and register here.

What is Digital Accessibility?

Digital accessibility refers to the ability of people with disabilities and impairments to consume and/or interact with digital applications and content independently. In many parts of the world, there are laws and regulations that mandate a certain level of accessibility for websites and digital products created by government agencies, schools and universities, and other public institutions. (I spoke about some of those international laws recently at my webinar on Accessibility & Disability Inclusive Workplaces.)

Digital accessibility is all about creating a level playing field in the digital world for everyone, regardless of ability.

State of Accessibility

According to the WebAIM Million Report, over 95% of websites have at least one accessibility error.

96.4% of all errors detected fall into six categories: Low Contrast Text, Missing ALT Text, Missing Labels, Empty Links, Empty Buttons, and Missing Language. These most common errors have been the same for the last 5 years. Addressing just these few types of issues would significantly improve accessibility across the web.

Ways You Can Participate

Check out these great events you can attend, virtually or in person, all day – and month! – long:

• Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Events: https://accessibility.day/events/
• International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Events: https://accessibilityassociation.org/s/gaad
• GAAD at Level Access: https://www.levelaccess.com/gaad/