Global Accessibility Awareness Day - 2026
GAAD is a free campus community event. We ask that DU campus members please register to help us with the lunch count order.
Registration
Thursday, May 21, 2026
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.
Lunch Provided
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.
Guest Speakers and GAAD Awards
Dr. Arielle Silverman, Director American Foundation for the Blind
Arielle Silverman is the director of research at the American Foundation for the Blind, where she manages AFB’s research portfolio including studies about technology accessibility, employment, and aging for Americans who are blind or have low vision. Previously, Arielle has worked as an independent disabilities research and training consultant, as a technical writer for the National Rehabilitation Information Center, and as a research scientist for the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Her strongest research interests include disability identity, employment barriers, ableism reduction, and neurodiversity. Arielle received her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2014.
Emily Romero, American Foundation for the Blind
Emily M. Romero holds an M.A. in applied psychology and creative writing from Regis University in Denver, CO, and now studies educational psychology at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. While most of her research focuses on creativity in education, accessibility is an important part of the work she does. She has recently created a repository of openly available educational resources designed for accessibility and inclusivity. Contact her at: emily.m.romero.2000@gmail.com.
Maria Moore, Denver Art Museum
Mariah Moore is the Manager of Lifelong Learning and Accessibility at the Denver Art Museum. With over a decade of experience in accessibility and disability nonprofit work, Mariah leads accessibility and inclusion initiatives at Denver Art Museum. She currently is working on the museum's Designing for Accessibility project—a 3-year initiative focused on co-designing accessible experiences with members of Denver's disability community. She approaches this work with a "nothing about us without us" mindset that centers the voices and expertise of disabled visitors and community members.
Dan Burke, Colorado Center for the Blind
Dan Burke is a long-time member and leader in the National Federation of the Blind.Professionally, he has served as the Public Relations Specialist at the Colorado Center for the Blind since 2013, for 17 years as Assistant Director of Disability Services for Students at the University of Montana, and as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in Montana. Growing up in art-centric Loveland, Colorado, experiencing and creating art was just in the water, even for a low vision kid. His introduction to accessible art nearly 30 years ago rekindled Burke’s pursuit of artistic experiences that were accessible. Thus, when the Denver Art Museum sought participation in its Design for Access project, he leapt at the opportunity to contribute.Burke is married to Julie Deden, Director of the Colorado Center for the Blind and has one adult child. He and Julie live in Centennial.
GAAD Staff, Faculty and Student Awards
Lucy Edwards, Staff Award - Graduate School of Social Work
Lucy is the Career and Student Engagement Coordinator at the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW). In this unique role, Lucy combines career services with student engagement to holistically support students throughout their academic and professional journeys.
She provides individualized career advising and designs a wide range of career and engagement programming for students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Her work includes organizing events and presentations, developing marketing materials, and managing outreach efforts. Lucy also supports key community-building initiatives, including co-creating the GSSW Neurodiversity Network for Peers, Allies, and Alumni, the GSSW Mentorship Network, and all the GSSW student affinity organizations.
Lucy has a background in Clinical Mental Health Counseling working with Neurodivergent individuals and families across the lifespan. Through this passion, education ,and training Lucy continues to work to improve inclusivity and accessibility within her work at DU to better serve the community.
Talya Riciputi - Student Award
Talya Riciputi is pursuing a sociology major and leadership minor at the University of Denver. She is an advocate for accessibility, inclusion, and equity for neurodiverse learners and people with disabilities. Drawing on her own lived experience, Talya brings a grounded, personal perspective to the work of dismantling barriers in education and beyond. She has worked with the Denver Waldorf School as a mentor for students with learning differences, as well as engaging with curriculum at DU around disability justice. She is passionate about raising the visibility of those most affected by inaccessibility and building systems that work for everyone.
Olivia Tracy - Faculty Award
Accommodations
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable individuals of all abilities to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact the ADA Coordinator at ADA.Coordinator@du.edu. Please note that without adequate notice before the event, we may not be able to provide reasonable accommodations.