Event Type: In Person Events

Join us in downtown Boulder to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day! We’re gathering accessibility practitioners, advocates, and the curious at Viget for an evening of fast-paced learning and genuine connection. The agenda: meet your neighbors, then dive into a series of 10–15 minute flash talks covering keyboard testing basics, making the ROI case for accessibility, AI and accessibility, and more. We’ll close with a 30-minute social — bring your LinkedIn QR code and come ready to expand your network. Thursday, May 21 | 5:30–7:00 PM MT | Viget, Boulder CO

Digital maps are essential tools for public services, education, and civic participation, yet for the estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide with disabilities, literacy barriers, or age-related vision and mobility challenges, most maps remain completely unusable. In this webinar, we explore how the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey tackled this barrier head-on, transforming a complex statewide geologic map with over 3,000 features and 57 color-and-pattern combinations into a fully accessible, interactive experience that can be navigated through vision, audio, keyboard, and or screen reader. Learn how their team integrated accessible map technology with their existing ArcGIS infrastructure, without disrupting current workflows, to produce the first geological survey map that fully complies with ADA Title II, Section 508, Section 504, and WCAG AA standards. Whether your agency publishes zoning maps, emergency evacuation routes, land use data, architectural diagrams, or any other spatial information, this session will show you a practical, replicable model for meeting your digital accessibility obligations and serving all of your constituents.

Want to avoid up to €1m in EAA fines?

​The European Accessibility Act is in enforcement. Actually, we’re coming up on its year anniversary this June. So what? you may say. Well, enterprise buyers are now requiring WCAG compliance the same way they require SOC 2. And in Ireland, non-compliance carries criminal liability – up to €60k in fines and 18 months in prison. And no-one wants that.

​Most software teams know they need to act. Very few know what it actually takes.

​On May 21st this Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), DevAlly is hosting a Lunch and Learn at Dogpatch Labs with the people doing this work IRL. We promise no slides. No pitching or sales talk. Just a practical conversation – and of course an open floor for product questions.

​That’s what “built in, not bolted on” actually means in practice. Accessibility that gets retrofitted at the end of a product cycle costs ten times more to fix and takes ten times longer to get right. This session is about the how — how to use DevAlly to catch issues early in your build, give your engineering team a prioritised remediation backlog, and ship products that enterprise buyers can actually say yes to. ​

Who’s in the hotseat?

• ​Cian Dowling Accessibility Lead @ Synthesia ​

Synthesia is one of Europe’s most recognised AI video platforms, recently valued at $4bn+. Cian will speak from inside a live compliance journey – the accessibility issues found, a hard enterprise deadline, and what the remediation actually involved. ​

• Bruno Walraven Head of Product @ DevAlly ​

What we see across product teams getting accessibility right and how compliance gets built into product development without halting delivery. ​

• MC: Aisling Conlon-Mattu Head of Marketing @ DevAlly

​This is for you if you are:

• ​A Head of Product, CTO, or engineering lead at a B2B SaaS company ​
• Building in Fintech, HR Tech, EdTech, or any sector selling to enterprise ​
• Facing a VPAT request, an EAA compliance question, or an enterprise procurement checklist
• A founder who wants to get this right before a customer, a regulator, or a law firm makes you ​

What’s the run of show? ​

12:30 – Arrival & Lunch

​13:00 – Welcome ​

13:05 – Conversation ​

13:40 – Open floor ​

14:00 – Close & Networking ​

👾 Who we are ​

DevAlly is an AI powered digital accessibility compliance platform for product teams who ship quickly. Recently selected by 500 Global (backers of Intercom, Canva, Reddit, and Stripe) as part of its Ireland cohort scaling into the US. While our CEO is in San Francisco this week, we are marking GAAD at our European HQ with a conversation that is actually worth your time. ​

Spaces are limited. Request your seat → https://luma.com/tiubpw4a ​

Hosted by DevAlly at Dogpatch Labs, Dublin

An interactive workshop introducing the Reverse Empathy Map, a participatory accessibility method developed by Suarise to help teams better understand barriers experienced by disabled users in digital products and interactive experiences. Unlike conventional empathy mapping that often relies on assumptions, this approach encourages participants to examine friction points, exclusion patterns, sensory overload, and accessibility gaps directly from the perspective of users who encounter them. Through accessibility simulation, discussion, and guided reflection, participants will explore how design decisions, gameplay mechanics, interfaces, audio, controls, and interaction systems may unintentionally create barriers for different users. The workshop is designed to help studios, designers, and developers move beyond compliance-oriented thinking and build a more practical understanding of inclusive game experiences. This session also aims to encourage local game teams to start accessibility discussions earlier within their production process by using user-centered and experience-based approaches that are more contextual to real implementation challenges in Indonesia. This event is for selected Indonesian game studio, game community, game professionals and media. Shall you part of aforementioned segments and willing to take part representing your studio/community, please reach out to kelas@suarise.com.

An Inclusive Play Session pairing disabled and non-disabled players held in a public space to demonstrate accessible gaming in action to spectators and gather public attention to this topic. Open for People with Disabilities* (gamers and non-gamers) and non-disability as buddy/pair, volunteers, and observer. There are Open for public, but highly recommended for Indonesian game community, game studio, and game developer professionals. Since this is a pilot program, for current play session, we accept PwD participant from Visually Impaired (Blind and low vision), Hard of hearing and Deaf, and Motoric/Physical Disability (limited upper limb and wheelchair users).

Shortlisted games are:

1. 1. Just Dance
2. The Last of Us Part II
3. Blind Drive
4. Atomfall
5. It Takes Two
6. Forza Motorsport on PC, PS5, and driving simulator.

Registration only with selected time booking.

The event aims to foster awareness of accessibility barriers and inclusive design principles by providing hands-on experiences and opportunities for reflection and discussion. Participants will be invited to explore how inaccessible environments, tools, interfaces and communication practices can unintentionally exclude people with diverse needs and abilities.

Agenda:

01:00 pm – Hands-on, Experiential Workstations: Participants will explore interactive workstations demonstrating common accessibility barriers (20-30 min each workstation).

03:30 pm – Welcome and Introduction: Opening remarks by the Commission for Diversity and Inclusion.

03:40 pm – Roundtable Discussion: A moderated conversation with experts in accessibility, inclusive design, assistive technologies and digital inclusion.

04:30 pm – Closing and refreshments: An informal moment to exchange reflections while exploring examples of accessible and inaccessible event design.

We’re stoked to be collaborating with Remarkable Disability Tech Accelerator and Atlassian to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) this year. We’re lucky to have an amazing lineup of speakers – and this is a great opportunity to meet and hear from people working directly on inclusive and accessible solutions. We’ll have short talks by Kate Jenkins & Kath Hamilton from Remarkable and Pawel Wodkowski from Atlassian‘s accessibility team… with some founders from the current Remarkable Launcher cohort sharing their story/pitch. Kath Hamilton will then host a fireside chat/panel with Max Burt OAM from WheelEasy and Carolyn Mee from Sound Scouts… all three are alumni of Remarkable’s Accelerator program. The purpose of GAAD is to “get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people with disabilities/impairments”. GAAD is on 21 May, so we’re celebrating a couple of days early… and for SydDT regulars, yes we’re doing this on a Tuesday! Remarkable’s mission is to “empower disability tech innovators by providing the training, capital, and networks they need to create a future that is accessible, equitable and inclusive for all”. Accessibility is also core to Atlassian’s mission – to unleash the potential of every team. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome!

Az elmúlt évben havonta találkoztunk szakemberekkel és érintettekkel, hogy közösen gondolkodjunk a hazai akadálymentesség helyzetéről. Most egy nyitott workshopra hívunk mindenkit, akit foglalkoztat a hozzáférés, az önállóság és az emberi autonómia jövője. Közösen beszélgetünk az megnyíló új lehetőségekről, a legnagyobb hiányokról és arról, hogy egyénként vagy közösségként hogyan tudunk valódi változást támogatni egy új helyzetben. Fókuszterületek: akadálymentesség, neuroinklúzió, érintetti bevonás, AI, digitális és fizikai hozzáférés, EAA utáni lehetőségek. A workshopot a GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) keretében rendezzük meg május 21-én. Várunk minden érintettet, érintettek szervezeteinek képviselőit, szakembert és érdeklődőt, aki szeretne részt venni egy hozzáférhetőbb jövő alakításában.

(EN) NTT DATA Barcelona is hosting an in-person event focused on digital inclusion as a key strategic driver, regulatory obligation, and source of business value.

Agenda:

• The current accessibility landscape in Catalonia
• The real business implications of the European Accessibility Act (EAA)
• Practical approaches to integrating accessibility into organizational strategy
• The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in inclusion

There will also be an opportunity to network with professionals involved in shaping digital experiences, maintaining regulatory compliance, and advancing accessibility and inclusion in a corporate context.

Location: Innovation Center, NTT DATA Barcelona (Av. d’Icària 211, Barcelona)

(ES) NTT DATA Barcelona organiza una jornada presencial sobre la inclusión digital como elemento estratégico, obligación normativa y fuente de valor para las organizaciones.

Agenda:

• Contexto actual de la accesibilidad en Cataluña
• Las implicaciones reales del European Accessibility Act (EAA) en el negocio
• Enfoques prácticos para integrar la accesibilidad en la estrategia de las organizaciones
• El papel de la inteligencia artificial (IA) en la inclusión

Además, se habilitará un espacio de networking con profesionales involucrados en el diseño de experiencias digitales, el cumplimiento normativo y el impulso de la accesibilidad e inclusión en el ámbito corporativo.

Ubicación: Innovation Center, NTT DATA Barcelona (Av. d’Icària 211, Barcelona)

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2026 will be celebrated in Bangladesh under the theme: “Design, Develop, Deliver: Accessibility at Every Step.” The event is organized by the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme in collaboration with UNDP Bangladesh, Sightsavers International, and Friendship (INGO). The celebration aims to promote digital accessibility and inclusive technology for persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.

The program will include:

• Exhibition on disability innovation and assistive technology
• Accessibility awareness sessions
• Government and private sector engagement
• Recognition of organizations ensuring accessible digital services
• Networking among policymakers, development partners, disability organizations, innovators, and accessibility professionals

Bangladesh has made significant progress in digital accessibility through policy development, accessible government services, and inclusive innovation initiatives led by the a2i Disability Innovation Lab. The event will bring together representatives from government ministries, development organizations, private sector companies, accessibility experts, organizations of persons with disabilities, financial institutions, media, and innovators to advance inclusive digital transformation.