GAAD Events

Thinking of holding an in-person or virtual event to mark the 7th GAAD and inviting the public to take part? Take a look at our 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 event pages for ideas. E-mail globala11yawarenessday at gmail.com if you have questions or need ideas.

In-Person Events on May 17

Virtual Events on May 17

Display a GAAD Banner on your Site

Thanks to Nick Freear, you can display a banner promoting GAAD on your site. Banner is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Download Nick Freear's GAAD banner

Introduction to Screen Readers Deque Systems Webinar

In this webinar, Steve Sawczyn, Solutions Architect at Deque Systems, will demonstrate how he uses a screen reader to navigate the web. In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), this fundamentals-based webinar will provide developers, designers, business users or anyone new to digital accessibility a first-hand experience of how people who are visually impaired navigate the web.

Learn more and register for this webinar May 17 at 1:00pm Eastern Time.

BlackBoard's GAAD Follow-the-Sun Webinar Series

Blackboard believes that accessibility is an imperative in education. We are participating in GAAD 2018 with our annual “follow-the-sun” series of webinars on accessibility and inclusive education. The webinar presenters are from across the globe and will cover all levels of education – K12, Higher Ed, and professional education. Please join us for one webinar or the entire series. Register here:

Learn more and register for their online session May 17

CivicPlus Learn the Latest Requirements for Local Governments Webinar

For local governments looking to take the next step forward in their accessibility compliance strategy, our webinar will provide:

  • An update on the legal landscape of accessibility in municipal government
  • Guidance on your responsibility as a local government leader to ensure accessible content
  • How CivicPlus® can help you ensure compliance
  • What’s new in civic accessibility
Register for the CivicPlus Webinar on May 17th, 2018

Jisc (UK) Online Webinar e-books and disabled readers – what to look for in accessibility statements

This 90-minute fee-based online training course explores the accessibility information needed by library and disability support staff to help them provide timely and effective support for disabled students in FE and HE.

Learn more, including cost, and register for the Jisc webinar on May 17

CAPAL’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines COP Webinar

The Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians' Web Content Accessibility Guidelines community of practice is hosting a webinar presented by Gregg Vanderheiden (PhD), Professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. University and college libraries are trying to support students of all ages and abilities including a surprisingly large number who have invisible cognitive, language, and learning (CLL) disabilities. Although many think of accessibility as just for people with disabilities, there are many strategies that can make computers easier to use that are more subtle — and that can be useful to all users.

The webinar will be on May 17 at 1:30pm (EST).

Learn more and register for the CAPAL’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines COP Webinar.

A short film on reimagining accessibility for today’s world by Microsoft

Discover practical ways to build a more inclusive environment and how accessible technologies such as Microsoft 365 enable everyone to create, communicate and collaborate. Whether you are looking to ensure productivity for your diverse workforce or to increase your organization’s reach and provide delightful services to customers with disabilities, the “Empower every person: reimagining accessibility” short film is for you.

Register today to watch, on May 17th, this free on-demand short film featuring leaders from Microsoft and our partners: US Business Leadership Network, Be. Accessible, TD Bank Group and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Using WordPress for Accessible Web Development

This webinar, part of the Accessible Technology Webinar series, discusses WordPress as a way to develop accessible websites. WordPress is a powerful and flexible Content Management System that lends itself to building accessible web sites. With flexibility, however, there are some risks. We’ll talk about the strengths and weaknesses of WordPress when it comes to building accessible web sites, addressing some aspects of what you can do to ensure better accessibility and what you should avoid. The speaker is Joe Dolson, Founder of Accessible Web Design.

Learn more and register for the webinar May 17 at 2pm Eastern Time

Register for the Free Global Accessibility Awareness Day Webinar by The American Foundation for the Blind

Hosted by AFB Consulting, the 1-hour webinar will cover the following topics:

  • The real-world value of accessibility, presented by Cristopher Broyles, AFB’s Chief Consulting Solutions Officer
  • Recent advances in the accessibility space, presented by John Lilly and Matthew Enigk
  • An overview of AccessWorld, presented by Lee Huffman, Editor-in-Chief
  • The common characteristics of successful accessibility programs, presented by Cristopher Broyles
  • Solution/service offerings of AFB to augment and support corporate accessibility programs, presented by Cristopher Broyles and John Lilly.

Register for the Free AFB Webinar 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST, May 17

What the Legal Landscape Looks like for Schools in 2018 Finalsite Live Webinar

Website accessibility was a big buzzword in 2017 — especially among public school districts and in higher ed. Along with the buzz came a lot of unanswered questions about the process and legislation. So, we're here to clear up the confusion!

Join Finalsite's Founder and CEO Jon Moser and AudioEye's Co-Founder and President Sean Bradley to sort out the different legislations behind website accessibility, how to determine if your school is a target, and what to do to prevent fines.

Learn more and register for Finalsite's live webinar May 17 @ 2:00 PM EDT