Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is right around the corner and with that comes fun presentations, talks, and workshops by people in the industry, where all they do is eat, sleep, and breathe accessibility.

GAAD kicks off in Detroit on May 19th at Grand Circus in downtown Detroit. It is going to be a fun night with groups of people learning hands-on how to navigate the Web using a screen reader.

Our meetup will be led by Al Puzzuoli, resident information technologist at Michigan State University’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

How I Got Involved

I am very stoked to be one of three event hosts for GAAD and know that I am taking part in a global event all across the world. It is going to be a fun and exciting night; I hope to gain better knowledge of screen readers as well.

Thanks to Deborah Edwards-Onoro, one of three event hosts for GAAD, I learned about the event and how it was an actual “thing.” She reached out to me and asked if I would join her and Nick DeNardis as an event host. Without hesitation, I agreed.

For this event, I went on the hunt for volunteers to help with groups and using screen readers. My friend Marcy Sutton from Deque reached out to her peers and I have a few people from the Ann Arbor Deque office coming out to help with the event.

They will be bringing swag to give out to the attendees. I also designed and purchased custom stickers printed for the event to hand out as well.

Accessibility Matters

A11Y, or accessibility, is gaining wide popularity and visibility in the industry thanks to people like Marcy Sutton, Steve Faulkner, all the people working on The A11Y Project, and the many other people that hold a11y dear to their heart.

Also, with events like GAAD, it helps to spread the word that accessibility is important and should be taken very seriously.

I always say,

Accessibility is not an option, it’s a must.

Come out and join us on May 19th for a good night and gain some knowledge on a11y by people in the industry. The event is from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, cost to register is $5.00. Cheers!

• Accessibility