Events & Activities

On May 15th, TOTHOMweb will host an online event as part of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) to raise awareness about digital accessibility. The event will feature a roundtable with individuals with disabilities who will demonstrate how they navigate websites and applications, sharing the barriers they face in their daily online interactions. Daniel Montalvo (W3C) and David Sabaté (CEO of TOTHOMweb) will also explain key accessibility standards and their legal implications. The session will be moderated by Meritxell Aymerich and Iván Novegil, who will also share their perspective as blind professionals. The event will include live subtitles and sign language interpretation.

It’s time for our yearly tradition with a meetup on GAAD, (Global Accessibility Awareness Day). And we’ll be hosted again by Spotify at their headquarters at Regeringsgatan 13. It will be an evening of awesome talks, good discussions and friendly people. Don’t miss this! We will have four lightning talks (10-15 min each) and one keynote. Here are the lightning talks: Scaling accessibility for your organization Serah Kiburu – Senior Accessibility Engineer, Spotify. “Innovation and progress in the tech ecosystem are largely powered by extensive experimentation and fast prototyping. Often, this means that there is a very short and strict checklist that guides the definition of what is ready for launch, and accessibility is not always high on this list for many product teams and organizations. This talk will go over some of Spotify’s approaches to build an accessibility-centric culture across design, product, engineering and people teams, and will highlight some key lessons learnt along the way.” Innovating for Inclusive Touch – Breaking the Screen Barrier Daniel Göransson – Accessibility Clippy® at Axess Lab. “Join us for a demo of a new solution designed to make touchscreens usable for people with vision impairments. Daniel will share the thinking and development process behind the innovation, offering practical insights for anyone working to improve digital accessibility.” ChatGPT Didn’t Know About Crip Life — So I Changed That. Emma Åstrand, Crip Advocate/Disability Theorist. “A talk on how to turn a clueless AI into a crip advocate. Expect a crash course on disability identity, technical rebellion and a reminder that even Chat can learn to do better.” “Are there any good bands from Malawi?” – or: how to build an accessible musical world map. Tommy Feldt, UX designer and accessibility specialist at Useit. “Music should be universal! In this session Tommy Feldt will demonstrate how he made Explr fm – an interactive world map for exploring your music taste – accessible for users with disabilities and assistive technologies. Live demo on stage promised!” Keynote speaker (~30 min): How does tech enable me as deafblind? Torbjörn Svensson, Deafblind lecturer, adventurer and inspirer “In life with deafblindness, the digital world has brought many opportunities. Torbjörn will lecture from his perspective, as Deafblind, on digital accessibility and how it is something that everyone benefits from.”

In this episode, we will explore a bit tools like AcessMonitor, MyMonitor, and the Portuguese Accessibility Observatory. We will talk about how these tools help both public and private organizations meet EN 301 549 standards and improve accessibility across digital services. And we will wrap up with a practical walkthrough on evaluating a real website and building a cross-functional roadmap for accessibility. Perfect for UX designers, developers, and digital teams aiming to create more inclusive user experiences.

Comprehensive 4-week online accessibility training designed to educate development teams on how to develop an accessibility mindset and create fully accessible and legally compliant websites.

Barrierefreiheit ist heute wichtiger denn je. In einer digitalen Welt sollte jede Person Zugang zu Informationen haben, unabhängig von individuellen Bedarfen. Doch oft sind digitale Dokumente und Unterlagen voller Hürden, die viele Menschen ausschließen. In diesem Workshop zeigen wir euch erste einfache Schritte zur Gestaltung möglichst barrierearmer digitaler Unterlagen und Dokumente. Formatvorlagen, Überschriften, Designs, Gliederungen, Tabellen, Kontraste, alternative Bildbenennungen – alle diese Faktoren tragen dazu bei, wie gut Lehr- und Lernmaterialien, die ihr für euer Studium anfertigt, von anderen Menschen erfasst und verarbeitet werden können. Viele Schritte für eine zugängliche Gestaltung von digitalen Unterlagen können leicht in den Alltag übernommen werden; es müssen nur ein paar Basics gekannt und angewendet werden. Wir erklären euch, welche und wie genau das funktioniert!

Public sector services need to work for everyone. Unlike private sector businesses, public organisations cannot exclude anyone or focus on a narrow user group. German accessibility law, the Basic Law – also known as Grundgesetz – and EU legislation demand this. Various public sector organisations have been building significant capacity and capability in-house. In the May edition of the ‘Öffentliches Gestalten’ meetup, we want to hear from representatives of several German public sector organisations about their efforts to design and develop the most inclusive products and services:

• Danny Koppenhagen, Deutsche Bahn/DB Systel
• Marion Couesnon , DigitalServices des Bundes
• Susanne Henatschel, DigitalServices des Bundes

The federal government’s DigitalService is hosting the meetup at its Kreuzberg office’s top floor with rooftop access. All presentations will be given in English. Questions in the later discussion part can be raised either in English or German. The event is jointly organised and hosted by CityLAB Berlin and DigitalService.

Beginner friendly webinar for those getting started with Website Accessibility. If you’ve ever wondered how to make your website more inclusive, this session is for you. You’ll learn how simple changes — like clearer text, better image descriptions, and more mindful design choices — can open up your content to more people, grow your audience, and reflect your values.

Creemos firmemente que la tecnología debe estar al servicio de todas las personas, sin excepciones, y que la accesibilidad debe ser un pilar transversal en cualquier iniciativa. Es por ello que el próximo día jueves 15 de mayo, Día Mundial de la Concienciación sobre la Accesibilidad, desde Fundación hiberus junto al área de Accesibilidad de hiberus organizamos una jornada para visibilizar la importancia de la accesibilidad digital. No te pierdas la mesa redonda en la que generaremos un espacio de diálogo para compartir buenas prácticas y retos de la accesibilidad para todas las personas.

What’s this session about?

We’ll be celebrating the 14th Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

How will we be doing that?

We’ll be joined by accessibility expert Nichole Browne, who’ll be running a hands-on empathy lab experience created specifically for designers and product managers who are passionate about building accessible and inclusive products.

About the session

The Empathy Lab Experience is an award-winning workshop that will take you beyond theory—allowing you to step into the real-world challenges faced by people with various disabilities and impairments. Through interactive simulations you’ll gain insights into accessibility issues from a fresh perspective.

Attending this session, you will…

• gain practical skills and simple, actionable strategies you can bring back to your team
• explore the positive impact accessibility can have on your products, brand, and bottom line
• learn how the European Accessibility Act coming into effect in June 2025 will impact your organisation

This is a great opportunity to deepen your understanding, enhance your design process, and make a real difference in users’ lives.

Come ready to learn, engage, and transform your approach to accessibility!

Anything else?

There’ll be plenty of time for drinks, nibbles, and conversations.

About Nichole

Nichole Browne is the heart and mind behind accessibility at the Empathy Lab Experience, where she passionately leads programs that make inclusivity a reality.

With over 30 years in user research, UX design, and digital accessibility, Nichole brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience from her work at the University of Nottingham, the Department for Transport, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Known for her genuine commitment to accessibility, Nichole has a knack for turning ideas into impactful, real-world initiatives. In her role today, she continues to champion a world where every product, service, and digital experience is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of all users.

To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we’re doing things a little differently this month. No panel. No slides. Just time together. Join us for a relaxed, in-person social at the Firkin on Yonge. This is a chance to reconnect with the community, meet new folks, share a few stories, and have some meaningful conversations. As part of the evening, we’re inviting anyone who’s interested to take part in mini lightning prompts. These are three-minute, opt-in moments to share something from your own accessibility journey — a small win, a helpful tool, a learning moment, or something you’re thinking about. Whether you’re new to the space or a longtime practitioner, everyone has something valuable to contribute. The goal is to keep things casual and welcoming. No need to prep slides or have a big polished story. Just come as you are and be part of the conversation.