GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation

Save the date! Join Teach Access staff, board of directors, and friends for a recap of 2024 successes and what lies ahead with our new 3-year strategic plan on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT). Advanced registration is required. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eHAAFdwv

This is why I added #atomic #design #criteria to AtomicA11y (link in the comments). "Wow! Where is all this covered in #WCAG?" — a legitimately curious question I got from a design manager while delivering a workshop that covered the nuances between text inputs, using text for number inputs, number / stepper / integer inputs. I had to explain that it's not — we're getting into the #UX of #accessibility, which WCAG can't really cover. Designers need help describing the right components and annotations for developers, especially when communication lines are thin (or non-existent). That's why each component contains #annotation notes for developers.

Accessibility Tip of the Day 284: More excellent animation and motion advice, this time from Cassie Evans! https://lnkd.in/gBj6ac-3 I love the focus on empathy here and ensuring that any animations included on your site have a purpose. There's also a neat idea in here for adding a site-specific toggle to reduce motion and then checking for that preference or the operating system preference and respecting either one. This could be useful for those users who may not be aware of how to change their motion preferences in their operating system settings. And, there are some great GSAP demos included too. (For those who didn't see the announcement from October, Webflow recently acquired GreenSock, the company behind GSAP, an awesome JavaScript animation library.) #accessibility #a11y #accessibilityTipOfTheDay

Accessibility Tip of the Day 274: There are currently 86 ARIA roles. Just like our long list of ARIA attributes, that's a lot! If you need a quick reference to ARIA roles, the MDN docs again have you covered: https://lnkd.in/ghS5sZxv A few things to keep in mind with ARIA roles: 1. Generally avoid changing an element's role attribute 2. Changing an element's role doesn't actually change any UI or behavior in the browser, it just changes how assistive technology like screen readers interpret the element 3. A valid case for changing an element's role attribute is when you're building a widget that doesn't natively exist in HTML yet #accessibility #a11y #accessibilityTipOfTheDay

Incredibly honored to accept the 2024 GAADy Award on behalf of GoodMaps. Our heartfelt thanks to the GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation for selecting us as one of this year’s three winners. This recognition celebrates our mission to integrate accessibility at the core of our navigation technology and user experience. For five and a half years, I’ve been privileged to be part of GoodMaps’ journey, witnessing how our commitment to inclusive design transforms lives. This award reinforces our belief that accessibility is fundamental, not an afterthought. To the GoodMaps family, users, and partners: your dedication and feedback drive us forward. Here’s to continuing our work in making technology truly accessible for all. We could not do it without all your support!

Had an amazing time at the GAADY awards hosted by GitHub in San Francisco! ?? The event focused on resilience in accessibility and featured insights from GAAD Co-Founders Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon. Key Takeaways: - Inclusive technology benefits everyone, not just the 1 billion people worldwide living with disabilities ?? - Continuous improvement is essential—embracing change and meeting people where they are makes a real difference ?? - AI has huge potential in assistive tech, driving more equitable experiences for individuals with disabilities ?? - Collaboration is crucial—learning from leaders in the field strengthens our collective commitment to digital inclusion ?????? Congrats to the Gaadys 2024 award recipients! While the journey may feel like "pushing a rock up a hill," Jennison’s words were inspiring: “Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, rally everyone to do their part.” At Synergis, we’re proud to support organizations on their accessibility journey. Let’s keep pushing the conversation forward! ?? #GAAD #DigitalInclusion #AccessibilityMatters #InclusiveDesign #AssistiveTech #A11y #Resilience #Synergis #TechForGood #Innovation

?? Evelyn Tichenor attended the Gaady Awards ceremony last night to pick up our award and discuss the impact GoodMaps’ accessible indoor navigation is making for the BLV community and beyond! Again, congratulations to fellow winners Anthro-Tech, Inc. and CivicActions, and thanks to the GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation for the award – it really does mean a lot to our team. Read more about the Gaadys here → https://lnkd.in/dmjMesjj #MappingTheFuture with #AccessibleNavigation and #InclusiveWayfinding

So meaningful to be recognized by GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation for our efforts to put accessibility first in all our product designs and technical development!

The Gaady Awards were held last night and we are so excited to be recognized as a winner for our work on OpenACR! ?? OpenACR (Open Accessibility Conformance Report) was designed in collaboration with GSA to bring transparency and standardization to digital accessibility reporting, helping organizations easily demonstrate their compliance with accessibility standards. This recognition underscores our commitment to creating a more inclusive digital government. #GaadyAwards #GAAD #Accessibility #OpenACR #InclusiveTech #CivicActions #OpenSource GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation #Gaadys2024 Andrew Nielson Owen Barton Mike Gifford, CPWA Jennison Asuncion

?? Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the GAADYs Awards, celebrating excellence in digital accessibility. It was fantastic to see friends and like-minded individuals who share the belief that accessibility must be a requirement from the start of product development—not an afterthought. ?? While my primary focus has been on assistive technology, I am inspired by the vision of a future where every product is accessible and the need for specialized devices is limited. We have a long road ahead, but events like this give me hope. ?? A huge congratulations to the winners: ?? GoodMaps Indoor Navigation – Revolutionizing indoor navigation by making complex spaces accessible for everyone. ?? Open ACR by CivicActions – Advancing accessibility through innovative solutions. ?? Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Website by Anthro-Tech, Inc. – Setting the standard for inclusive digital experiences. I’m also grateful for the chance to connect with new folks—including those I’ve only met virtually until now—and to learn from such a passionate community. Thank you to Jennison Asuncion, Joe Devon and the board of GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation for creating a movement to drive us forward! And thank you Tanner Gers for inviting me to this inspiring event. #UniversalDesign #Accessibility #AssistiveTechnology #GAADYs #Inclusion assistive.consulting