The University of Chicago

Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024

Thursday, May 16, is the 13th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), focusing on digital equality for the one billion people in the world living with a disability. Creating an accessible digital environment supports the full participation of all members of the campus community in the academic, research, and work life of the University.

This year, the Center for Digital Accessibility (CDA) is celebrating GAAD with a series of activities.

GAAD 2024 sessions and activities

Accommodations may be requested when registering for each session or post-registration by emailing digitalaccessibility@uchicago.edu.

Ivy+ GAAD 2024 Accessibility Event (virtual)

Tuesday, April 30
11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Join us and our Ivy+ peer institutions during GAAD to share information about strengthening digital inclusion. Topics include accessibility practices in the design process, do-it-yourself accessibility testing, lightning talks on implementing institutional best practices to enable progress, and a Q&A session on emerging digital accessibility topics for higher education institutions. Learn how you can take action to create a more accessible digital experience.

Hosted by: Stanford University

Digital Accessibility Advocate Celebration (hybrid)

Thursday, May 2
2–2:45 p.m.; optional networking 2:45–3:30 p.m.
Regenstein Library TechBar or on Zoom
The CDA and more than 50 Digital Accessibility Advocates will celebrate one academic year of learning, sharing, and promoting digital inclusion across campus. We are so proud of the progress being made. For in-person attendees of this hybrid event, cupcakes will be served. If you’re not an Advocate, we would love to have you join us to learn more about becoming part of this network of committed peers.

DIY activity: test your site’s responsiveness

Week of May 6
We encourage members of the University community to test the responsiveness of their websites. While most modern sites are already responsive, it’s important to make sure that content isn’t lost as the page layout reflows. Using your browser’s zoom feature (Ctrl and + on Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS or ⌘ and + on Mac), zoom up to 400%, which is roughly equivalent to viewing the page on a mobile or small screen device. As you go, check that the layout adapts properly, no content is lost, and horizontal scrolling isn’t necessary. Additional quick tips on how to use your keyboard to navigate the web can be found on the CDA’s Testing for Accessibility page.

Sharing Stories of Progress (virtual)

Friday, May 17
10–10:45 a.m.
Join us as we applaud people across UChicago who have strengthened the accessibility of their digital materials (websites, courses, documents, videos, emails, and more) or created more inclusive processes.

We will have a Sharing Stories of Progress panel during GAAD and post information on the Intranet in May.

Panelists: TBD

Digital Accessibility and Neurodiversity (virtual)

Wednesday, May 22
10–10:45 a.m.
People who are neurodiverse represent one of the largest segments of the disability community. Join us as we discuss how to strengthen our digital experience to remove barriers for people who are neurodiverse, including people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, and more.

GAAD logo