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Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Initiatives

Organisation of various yearly activities around Global Accessibility Awareness Day

At Eleven Ways, to draw attention to digital accessibility and engage internal teams and the broader public through social media

  • Organisation: Eleven Ways
  • Role: Project Manager
  • Year: 2024 – 2025

Vision

To raise awareness about digital accessibility and promote inclusive design practices by organizing impactful initiatives for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The goal was to engage teams and the public in understanding the importance of accessibility in technology and AI.

Eleven Ways graphic for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, inviting comments for an accessibility and AI checklist

Scope

Every year we would organize different initiatives around GAAD, including presentations, workshops and awareness campaigns. Including:

  • AI and Accessibility Checklist: Developed a simple checklist to highlight the intersection of AI and accessibility, helping teams assess their projects for inclusivity.
  • Random quickscans of public websites: Conducted spontaneous accessibility audits of public websites and presented findings to demonstrate real-world accessibility challenges.

Goals

  • Increase awareness of accessibility issues in AI and digital products.
  • Encourage teams to prioritize inclusivity in their projects.
  • Demonstrate the practical impact of accessibility barriers through real-world examples.

The Work

Some impressions of the initiatives for the various GAADs.

LinkedIn impact graphic showing three GAAD posts and their impression counts
Quickscan examples showing accessibility issues on real websites

The Team

  • Project Manager

    Oversee and guide the initiative from start to finish.

  • Accessibility specialists

    Inclusive design guidance and accessibility standards.

  • Content creators

    Clear, accessible content for internal teams and external audiences.

My Contributions

  • Planning and coordination: Designed the initiative roadmap, including timelines, resource allocation, and team responsibilities. Ensured alignment with GAAD’s global mission while tailoring activities to Eleven Ways’ expertise.
  • Checklist development: Collaborated with accessibility experts to create a user-friendly checklist that addressed common AI-related accessibility pitfalls. Piloted it internally.
  • Quickscan execution: Organized and led the quickscan sessions, assigning team members to audit specific websites. Reviewed findings and compiled actionable reports.
  • Stakeholder engagement: Worked with internal teams to gather input and buy-in. Advocated for GAAD activities to leadership.
  • Outreach and advocacy: Authored LinkedIn posts to share insights, findings, and resources. Engaged with comments and discussions.

Outcomes & Improvements

  • Increased awareness: The AI and Accessibility Checklist sparked internal discussions at Eleven Ways about integrating accessibility into AI-driven projects. Externally, the LinkedIn posts reached professionals in tech and accessibility.
  • Actionable insights from quickscans: Uncovered common barriers such as missing alt text, poor colour contrast, and non-semantic HTML. Findings were presented to the audited organisations where possible, and shared publicly to encourage fixes and serve as case studies.
  • Process improvements: The checklist was iterated to include more AI-specific scenarios, and the quickscan process was streamlined into a reusable framework for future GAAD activities.