Global Accessibility Awareness Day at AbelsonTaylor Group: Promoting Digital Inclusion for All

Every year on the third Thursday of May, people around the world celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The observance raises awareness about digital accessibility for people with disabilities and promotes practices and initiatives to make technology more inclusive. The goal of digital accessibility is to eliminate barriers to access or interaction with websites for people with physical disabilities, situational disabilities, or socio-economic restrictions on bandwidth and speed.

One Blog Post Leads to Worldwide Events

The genesis of GAAD was a blog post by Los Angeles-based web developer Joe Devon, who was inspired to draw more attention to digital accessibility issues after attending a conference on the topic in 2011. Jennison Asuncion, head of accessibility engineering at LinkedIn, read the post, reached out to Devon, and joined forces with Devon to create the Global Accessibility Awareness Day Foundation, which launched GAAD in 2012.

That first year, the duo encouraged companies and web developers to raise awareness for at least one hour during the observance day. The event gained momentum through blogs and social media and by 2015 had turned into a global celebration. Today, GAAD is observed by individuals, companies, schools, communities, and governments all over the world.

Global Celebrations in 2024

On May 16, this year’s GAAD, many organizations will sponsor events, webinars, or social media campaigns to educate their employees and the public about digital accessibility for people with disabilities. Some companies will perform audits of their websites, apps, or products to identify areas for improvement. Individuals may come together online or in person to share stories about accessibility challenges they face. Others will commit to learning more about accessible design. The goal of all activities is to start a conversation about accessibility, spread awareness, and encourage taking concrete steps to be more inclusive of people with disabilities in our digital world.

Ways to Get Involved

Even small steps to increase awareness and accessibility can make a big difference for people with disabilities. Here are some ways of getting involved with GAAD to help raise the profile of digital inclusion and be part of the solution to break down accessibility barriers:

• Use #GAAD or #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay hashtags to join the online conversation
• Read up on web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) and learn about accessible design principles
• Test your website or app for accessibility issues using tools like WAVE
• Watch videos, webinars, or tutorials about accessibility
• Reach out to disability organizations in your community to learn about inclusion efforts
• Commit to making your next website, app, document, or digital product as accessible as possible

Digital Accessibility Initiatives at AbelsonTaylor Group

As a healthcare and pharma marketing and communications company, AbelsonTaylor Group places a high priority on promoting digital accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. Digital accessibility education, resources, training, and implementation are developed and guided by an internal Employee Resource Group (ERG) called the Intersectional Accessibility ERG, whose core belief is that accessibility should be viewed as a fundamental human right.

Within the ERG’s mission is the aim to “build awareness and empathy around a broad and inclusive definition of accessibility,” while positioning AbelsonTaylor Group as an industry leader in this space. Led by the agency’s senior leadership in interactive technology and user experience design, the group recognizes that designing for accessibility creates value by allowing products and services to be usable by the widest possible audience.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Digital accessibility at AbelsonTaylor Group is managed through collaboration between the Intersectional Accessibility ERG, creative teams, and user experience and interactive technology teams. However, all agency teams are encouraged to take an active role in adhering to accessibility best practices.

This cross-functional approach helps ensure that accessibility is considered from the initial concept and design phases through to final implementation and quality assurance testing of digital projects.

GAAD Guest Speaker

In commemoration of this year’s GAAD, AbelsonTaylor Group’s Intersectional Accessibility ERG will host a guest speaker, accessible design expert Michele Mercer, to educate staff on how they can contribute to the company’s ongoing accessibility initiatives. She will address key accessibility issues, share real-world examples, and provide guidance on implementing inclusive design practices. Mercer is Technical Director, Associate, at global design and architecture firm Gensler, which renovated Chicago’s historic Old Post Office building, where AbelsonTaylor Group is headquartered. The building is regarded as one of the largest adaptive re-use projects in American architecture.

Keep Learning

To learn more about the GAAD Foundation’s mission to increase digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people globally who live with disabilities, visit the foundation’s website at Home – GAAD (accessibility.day) and check out AccessABILITY, a newsletter I publish each Wednesday on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7186157610725715968/

Image derived from original by pikisuperstar on Freepik