Global Accessibility Awareness Day - 2024

Thursday, May 16, 2024
Community Commons
Room 1700

Join us either in-person or on Zoom for our upcoming Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event at DU. As GAAD states, “The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.” Come hear from a panel of DU community members and guest speakers about their stories and experiences.

Free Registration

FREE FOOD!

For our in-person attendees, we will have delicious empanadas from Maria’s Empanadas, a local Denver restaurant that serves a variety of meat and vegetarian empanadas.

What is Digital Accessibility?

Every user deserves a first-rate digital experience on the web. Someone with a disability must be able to experience web-based services, content and other digital products with the same successful outcome as those without disabilities. This awareness and commitment to inclusion is the goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a global event that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Agenda:

Guest Speakers

Mary Lou Mobley, National Disability Expert, U.S. Dept. of Education (9:00 - 10:00)

Mary Lou Mobley graduated from Duke University in 1990 with a Juris Doctor and a Master’s degree in Philosophy. After clerking for a Federal judge, she joined the Federal government in Washington, DC, as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, where she earned numerous awards including the John Marshall Award for Distinguished Service. In 2006, she moved to Denver and joined the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, where she currently serves as OCR’s National Disability Expert and Co-Lead of OCR's National Digital Access Team. She is recognized as a nationwide leader in digital accessibility for people with disabilities.

Mike Hess, Founder & Executive Director at The Blind Institute of Technology (10:30 - 11:30)

After 20 years as a tech veteran managing 7-figure projects for Fortune 500 companies, one thing troubled Mike Hess, he was always the token blind guy. Knowing that the invaluable skills he developed because of his blindness were the keys to his success, he couldn’t understand why unemployment amongst the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community was so high. In his pursuit to reshape the prevailing stigmas and misconceptions surrounding Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) professionals within corporate America, Mike undertook a transformative journey.

Breakout Groups (2:15 - 3:15)

AI and Accessibility – Creating an inclusive digital world

In this interactive session, we'll explore the exciting intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Accessibility. AI has the potential to revolutionize how we create and access digital content, fostering a more inclusive online experience for everyone. We will explore Microsoft Copilot AI as well as Creative Cloud Adobe Express AI tools (both which are available to all DU staff, faculty and students).

This session will be led by Paula von Kretschmann, Learning Experience Designer at HRIC.

Unlocking Inclusion: Six Core Digital Accessibility Skills

Enhance Digital Inclusivity! This session is focused on mastering the essential skills for digital document accessibility. In this session, you'll learn how to optimize color contrast, choose accessible fonts, create meaningful hyperlinks, design accessible tables, structure headings and lists effectively, and craft descriptive alt text for images, all leading to a more inclusive and universally designed environment

Designed for faculty, staff, and students of any level, this workshop will equip you with practical knowledge to create digital content that is accessible to all members of our community. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your digital document creating skills and contribute making everyone’s experience at DU more inclusive.

This session will be led by Caroline Newcomb, Student Disability Services, Assistive Technology Specialist at Student Affairs.

Creating Accessible and Sustainable Drupal Web Pages

This session caters to campus Drupal web editors seeking guidance on crafting accessible, sustainable, and easily maintainable Drupal pages. We will explore strategies for designing navigation features, landing pages, and lower-level sub-pages that swiftly deliver essential information to end-users while ensuring a consistent and predictable user experience across your website. This approach benefits both editors and end-users alike.

This session will be led by Erin Bannon (Web Specialist in Marketing and Communications), Bill Casson (Digital Accessibility Specialist in Information Technology ), and Alex Martinez (Web Developer in Information Technology).

Planning Committee  (Alphabetical Order)

• Belinda Becker-Jacob
• Bill Casson, Information Technology
• Linzy Coffey, Human Resources and Inclusive Community
• Olivia Daigle, Community + Values
• Josiah Dunn, Information Technology
• Ellen Hogan, Office of Teaching & Learning
• Berfin Kalayci, Community + Values
• Clara Kapustka, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Josh Kaufman, Equal Opportunity & Title IX
• Paula von Kretschmann, Human Resources and Inclusive Community
• Alex Martinez, Information Technology
• Caroline Newcomb, Student Disability Services
• Kim-Chi Pham, Community + Values
• Cassy Zapotocky, HR and Inclusive Community

Where:

The Community Commons room 1700 (2055 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210) is located in the center of campus off Evans Boulder. It's a 15-minute walk (half mile) away from the University of Denver RTD Stop moving south. There are hourly paid parking facilities located at Asbury Ave Hourly Street Parking, Ricketson Law Building Garage, and Evans Garage.

 

Free Registration

Thank you to our financial sponsors!

Digital Accessibility Tech Tips

• Digital Accessibility Tech Tips (PDF)
• Digital Accessibility Tech Tips (MS Word)