Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Thursday 19 May 2022 is the eleventh Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of Global Accessibility Awareness Day is to get people talking about digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Accessibility removes barriers and unlocks the possible. GAAD highlights that people with disabilities should experience the same web-based services, content, and other digital products with the same successful outcomes as those without disabilities. With this in mind, the GAAD Foundation was launched last year with the aim of making accessibility a core requirement of technology and digital product development across the world.

Accessibility means making your content and design clear and simple enough so that most people can use it without needing to adapt it, while supporting those who do need to adapt things. 1 in 5 people in the UK experience a permanent or temporary disability including physical disabilities, as well as cognitive and neurological disabilities, so there is lots to consider when creating accessible websites and content.

People may not have a choice when using a public sector website, so it’s important they work for everyone. The people who need them the most are often the people who find them hardest to use.

Accessible websites usually work better for everyone. They are often faster, easier to use and appear higher in search engine rankings. Making sure that everybody can access our information is the right thing to do. We want everybody to be able to use our website and we have a legal obligation to make this happen.

You will find more information and support on Staffnet about creating accessible content, as well as courses on idev.

Visit the GAAD website for more information about Global Accessibility Awareness Day and accessibility features that may be available for your personal technology and digital products.