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WTS-Boston DEI in Motion: Global Accessibility Awareness Day

A graphic shows a central circle with a clicking hand icon, connected to icons for cloud, gear, magnifying glass, phone, and globe. Text reads "Global Accessibility Awareness Day" and "DEI in Motion."

May 15, 2025 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), which has been celebrated on the third Thursday in May since 2012 [1]. GAAD aims to increase awareness of digital access and inclusion for the estimated one billion people living worldwide with disabilities or impairments [2].

Digital accessibility means making digital applications and content usable for people with disabilities/impairments. In the United States alone, over 70 million adults (more than 1 in 4) report having a disability [3]. Common disabilities include visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments. 

Visual
People with visual impairments may rely on screen readers and alternative (alt) text descriptions for digital images. They may also use refreshable braille displays.

Hearing
Subtitles for videos and the replacement of audio cues with visual indicators make content more accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Motor
People with motor disabilities may rely on adaptive hardware devices such as eye control technology or specialized keyboards to interact with digital content.

Cognitive
Plain language and simple design in websites and applications benefit people with cognitive or learning disabilities.

The Global Accessibility Awareness Day website has many recommendations for how to incorporate accessibility, both digitally and in-person: https://accessibility.day/participate-directly/

Some suggestions include:
• Add image & video descriptions
• Use captions
• Use plain language
• Ensure there is enough contrast between text and background
• Offer hybrid options for in-person meetings
• Test websites for accessibility using free software such as WAVE

Global Accessibility Awareness Day helps to bring accessibility to the forefront, reminding us that everyone has a role in ensuring digital content is accessible to all.

References:
[1] https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-awareness/global-accessibility-awareness-day
[2] https://accessibility.day/
[3] CDC Data Shows Over 70 Million U.S. Adults Reported Having a Disability 

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