Events & Activities

You are invited to register for UMN Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 16, 2024. In coordination with people and institutions around the globe, join us for an online event based on the theme of Built Without Barriers. UMN GAAD 2024 will include a keynote presentation from Ashley Shew, Associate Professor at Virginia Tech and author of the book Against Technoableism. There will also be several breakout sessions in 4 broad tracks: Digital Content, Organizational Success, Community & Partners, and Teaching & Learning. Visit the GAAD event website to register and for more information about the day’s events.

Join us for a day of innovation, collaboration, and insight at our live, in-person event in Boston. Our packed agenda includes a keynote session delving into the latest developments in digital accessibility, fireside chats with industry experts, peer learning opportunities, and a presentation from Jill Power, Sr. Manager of Accessibility Experience at Pegasystems. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn, connect, and celebrate accessibility!

Come visit with The Arc of DFW Area and My Possibilities and learn how both organizations help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) live self-determined lives — The Arc through public policy and advocacy and My Possibilities through direct, educational programs and services.

Starbucks celebrates the 13th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), on May 16 from 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. PT with a live internal broadcast showcasing an Accessibility Awareness Lab as part of Starbucks Innovation Expo (SIX): Flow internal conference. Brought to you from the Digital Accessibility team and the Starbucks Disability Advocacy Network (DAN), and in partnership with digital accessibility tech partner Deque Systems, the Accessibility Awareness Lab is a way to help people understand and experience alternative ways of interacting with technology and other environments through hands-on access to different tools and assistive technologies. Starbucks Digital Accessibility team members, members of DAN, and leadership will welcome participants to the Accessibility Awareness Lab, host a coffee tasting, and explore the lab stations. In person partners (employees) will also be exploring the Accessibility Awareness Lab stations throughout the day to increase their awareness and deepen their understanding of how people with disabilities use technology and how they are impacted by inaccessible technology. Since the earliest days of the company, Starbucks has worked to create a culture of warmth and belonging in its stores – a place where everyone is welcome. This includes Starbucks collection of artwork featured at stores that celebrate community, 24 Signing Stores across the globe, free access to free Aira services in U.S. stores that help blind or low vision customers navigate the cafes and Disability Advocacy Partner Network (DAN employee resource group) which has contributed to the success of Starbucks partners and the company since 2016, and prior to DAN the Starbucks Access Alliance. Learn more about How Starbucks is Building Inclusive Spaces here.

A morning of interactive hybrid accessibility workshops culminates with the 2nd Annual UW Digital Accessibility Awards Ceremony.

This one-day online seminar will feature 8 sessions and 5 lightning talks on digital accessibility for the web, mobile, gaming, and more. Public viewing will also be held in Fukuoka and Nagoya. Real-time captions and automatic translation of captions for your language will be available.

At Perkins School for the Blind, our students from Secondary, Lower School, and Deafblind will lead an assistive technology expo, demonstrating the tools and technologies they rely on every day. Assistive technologies will include demos of screen readers, augmentative and alternative communication devices, Braille displays and notetakers, switch devices, and much more. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the Perkins community to learn from our students and explore the capabilities of various assistive devices firsthand.

Workday’s Product Accessibility Team and the People with Disabilities EBC presents a celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)! This year, Workday is celebrating GAAD by hosting a virtual conversation with disability activist, writer, media maker, and consultant, Alice Wong. Alice lost her ability to speak last year, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still have a lot to say. Register now to learn more about Alice’s disability advocacy, views on digital accessibility, the importance of community in combating ableism, and more.

This year’s accessibility exposition provides an opportunity for vendors in the accessibility space to showcase products or services to individuals who may benefit from them. There is also an informational opportunity to hear what other organizations are doing in the world of accessibility, how Signal Centers’ Assistive Technology Services is serving the Chattanooga community, and ways to get further involved in the Signal Centers Accessibility Taskforce.

will be broadcast at an internal company event where two users will show two types of navigation and compete for who does faster and better tasks on a computer and the user who uses the keyboard, also uses a Screen Reader to navigate.