Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Learning Opportunities

Thursday, May 18th, 2023

For Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we encourage our Austin Community College community to celebrate accessibility by increasing their knowledge, skills, and awareness of accessibility topics and the importance of equal access and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

Highland Campus (HLC), ACCelerator Session Information

Register for hour-long sessions that will include 30 minutes of presentation and end with hands-on practice where attendees will work on making their courses and class documents more accessible with support from experienced workshop facilitators.

In-person sessions will be held at the ACCelerator at the Highland Campus and concurrently online via Zoom.

Register to receive event reminders, a Zoom link (if attending online), and information on how to document professional development. (One hour of professional development per session.)

All sessions below are taking place on May 18th which is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Sessions are available to attend in-person at the HLC ACCelerator Room CR 1202 or via Zoom. Zoom link will be provided after registration.

If you will need American Sign Language interpreters please contact interpservices@austincc.edu by Tuesday, May 16th at 5pm.

Register

All sessions are on Thursday, May 18th

GAAD Accessibility Basics/Interactive Fix Your Content Clinic

11:00 am
HLC Accelerator Room CR 1202 & Zoom

An overview of the basics of digital accessibility with Meg Kareithi. We will answer questions such as “What is WCAG?” and “How can Blackboard Ally benefit my students?”  We will finish the session by working with participants to help them make documents and courses more accessible.

Accessibility Testers in MS Office and Google Docs/Interactive Fix Your Content Clinic

12:00 pm
HLC Accelerator Room CR 1202 & Zoom
Sean Loraas will be demonstrating some of the built-in accessibility checking tools available in MS Office, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Sean will show how to use accessibility checks to identify barriers in your documents and fix them to make your materials more accessible for students with disabilities and more useful for everyone.

Blackboard Ally/Interactive Fix Your Content Clinic

1:00 pm
HLC Accelerator Room CR 1202 & Zoom 

Michelle Escudier will present an overview of Blackboard Ally, describe how Ally works, and how to increase your Ally score to make content available for all learners. It’s easier than you think! Facilitators will work with faculty and staff to fix their documents after the presentation.

Contact AltText@austincc.edu for any questions.

 

GAAD 2023 Webinars and Training Opportunities

Virtual Learning Opportunities

Below are some suggested opportunities across the internet in celebration of GAAD 2023. Participate in any of the official GAAD-related opportunities listed below to support Global Accessibility Awareness Day. If you need more flexible options there are accessibility-related videos, training opportunities, and guides to increase your knowledge of best practices and improve the accessibility of your documents, communications, meetings, and events. Keeping accessibility in mind ensures everyone can have an opportunity to participate.

Why is Web Accessibility Important?

May 16th, 2023 | 11:00 AM

Accessibility ends with “y”. But it also needs to begin with “why”. Just as important as having the right accessibility techniques is knowing why accessibility is important. Amy Albin (she/her), a member of Vispero’s Human Resources team, an industrial/organizational psychologist, and a blind JAWS user, will present reasons for making your software offerings accessible to users with and without disabilities.

Learn more about Why is Web Accessibility Important? by TPGi

Business of Accessibility – Expert Panel

May 17th, 2023 | 10:30 AM

In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), TPGi is bringing together an expert panel of top accessibility experts to discuss how businesses benefit from creating accessible experiences, the return on accessibility efforts, the current state of accessibility, and much more! Join accessibility experts: Dena Wainwright at Fidelity; Christopher Patnoe at Google; Jaunita George and Michelle Lana at Navy Federal Credit Union.

Learn more about Business of Accessibility – Expert Panel by TPGi

Strategies for Growing an Organizational Accessibility Practice

May 18th, 2023 | 10:00 AM

Join us on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) as we discuss ways to implement inclusive policies within your organization to build a comprehensive accessibility practice for your company. We’ll discuss priorities, common challenges, and provide solutions to help you on your way to a more inclusive environment. Key takeaways: Understand key steps and milestones to build internal accessibility policies. Get tips on finding accessibility champions throughout your organization. Hear real-world stories of how small wins created big changes.

Learn more about Strategies for Growing an Organizational Accessibility Practice by Magic EdTech

Accessibility and Awareness Foundations Training

May 18th, 2023 | 12:00 PM-3:00 PM

To celebrate this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day, consider attending Accessibility Awareness and Foundations Training.

This event includes plenty of time for Q&A, and attendees will learn:

• What is digital accessibility and why it matters
• First-hand lived experiences and barriers faced by people with various disabilities
• Next steps for getting started: building for accessibility by leveraging technology

Learn more about the Accessibility Awareness and Foundations Webinar 

Achieving Digital Accessibility with a Global Team

May 18th, 2023 | 04:00 PM-05:30 PM

Join us for this special Global Accessibility Awareness Day event to learn from a panel of digital accessibility experts from around the world who’ve worked around the world while staying at home. Global accessibility is being achieved across continents. It brings a host of challenges, such as:

• Working across language barriers
• Different time zones
• Cultural differences and laws

This event is a great opportunity to learn about accessibility from a global perspective!

Learn more about Achieving Digital Accessibility with a Global Team by Digital Accessibility by WeCo