About GAAD

Third Thursday of Each May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

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How GAAD Started

blog post titled CHALLENGE: Accessibility know-how needs to go mainstream with developers. NOW. posted on November 27, 2011, with 67 comments. blog post opening paragraph: Relatively, there isn't a lot of great information about accessibility out there. You really have to seek it out. How many of you know what JAWS is? After popping up IE6/IE7/IE8 et al to ensure website compatibility, do you also check your content in a screen reader?

Single Blog Post

The idea of a Global Accessibility Awareness Day started with a single blog post written by a Los Angeles-based web developer, Joe Devon. See Joe’s Blog post that served as the inspiration for Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

Jennison Asuncion replying to Joe Devon on twitter: @joedevon I plan to tweet re your blog post tomorrow, but wanted to let you know I'm all over your idea of a Global #Accessibility Day. Posted at 8:02 PM on November 26, 2011

Accidental Discovery

Jennison Asuncion, an accessibility professional from Toronto, discovered Joe’s blog post purely by accident thanks to randomly coming across a tweet from Joe.

Jennison and Joe smiling, standing in front of the Edminster Student Union Building at North Idaho college. There's a large banner hanging over building's glass entryway, that says Pave the Way to GAAD.

Joining Forces

After reading it, he immediately contacted Joe (via Twitter) and they joined forces, leveraging their extensive and respective networks to realize the event.

Hear About GAAD from One of Its Founders

Watch Jennison Asuncion explain Global Accessibility Awareness Day, its origin and its intent in this interview by Dr. Jonathan Hassell.

About GAAD Founders

Joe, posing in front of a window with a city view and an indoor plant, wearing a black suit jacket and a plaid button up shirt

Joe Devon

Co-Founder

Joe Devon is a technology entrepreneur and web accessibility advocate. He co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and serves as the Chair of the GAAD Foundation, focusing on promoting digital accessibility and inclusive design. Joe also explores AI’s potential to revolutionize digital accessibility, developing AI solutions to enhance online experiences for people with disabilities.

Jennison with a wide smile, short black hair, wearing a forest green button-up shirt.

Jennison Asuncion

Co-Founder

From Canada to the US, Jennison Asuncion has had a long career in Digital Accessibility. He spent seven years at the Royal Bank of Canada working with their internal teams and vendors to ensure they meet the bank’s IT accessibility standards. At LinkedIn, he manages a team of software engineers who focus on enabling the global workforce of professionals with disabilities to be more productive and successful. He founded the Bay Area Accessibility and Inclusive Design meetup, co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), and has an impressive array of awards, from being decorated by Queen Elizabeth II with the Diamond Jubilee Medal, to the 2018 Stephen Garff Marriott Award.