{"id":45540,"date":"2025-05-15T00:05:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T05:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=45540"},"modified":"2025-05-15T00:05:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T05:05:39","slug":"zoom-celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness-day-building-a-digital-world-that-works-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2025\/05\/15\/zoom-celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness-day-building-a-digital-world-that-works-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"ZOOM: Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Building a Digital World that Works for All"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"41754\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2021\/03\/04\/webinar-covid-19-vaccines-and-people-with-disabilities-qa-3-9-2021\/governors-committee-on-people-with-disabilities-abbott\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?fit=700%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Governor&amp;#8217;s Committee on People with Disabilities abbott\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?fit=560%2C160&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-41754 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?resize=560%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?resize=300%2C86&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?resize=560%2C160&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?resize=260%2C74&amp;ssl=1 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Governors-Committee-on-People-with-Disabilities-abbott.png?resize=160%2C46&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Building a Digital World that Works for All<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every year, on the third Thursday of May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is observed to spotlight the importance of digital and universal access for all. As our world becomes increasingly digital, it&#8217;s essential that websites, applications, and digital content are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring equal access for everyone regardless of their ability.<\/p>\n<p>Over one billion people live with a disability. Accessible digital design helps people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities navigate and interact with technology effectively.<\/p>\n<p>GAAD is not just a day to raise awareness, but also a call to action. It challenges designers, developers, educators, and content creators to learn about and implement inclusive practices.<\/p>\n<p>The State of Texas has made significant efforts to support accessibility through various initiatives. For example, the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) provides guidance and resources to ensure state agencies comply with accessibility requirements. You can visit the DIR Accessibility Page to explore tools, standards, and training materials. Each state agency and state college or university also has a dedicated EIR accessibility coordinator that helps ensure state digital content is accessible to all.<\/p>\n<p>In honor of GAAD, GCPD is hosting a webinar on May 28, 2025 from 10 to 11 a.m. about Digital Accessibility for Texas and Texans. GCPD has invited Marie Cohan, the Statewide Digital Accessibility Officer at DIR, to present about how government agencies and higher education institutions in Texas make their websites accessible for Texans. This webinar will include information about digital accessibility policy in Texas government, best practices for application and web development, and how the state technology office (DIR) supports state agencies and universities to ensure interactions with state technology are accessible. Register for the webinar and gain valuable insight about how Texas contributes to global accessibility.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re a developer, teacher, manager, or content creator, there are simple ways to participate in GAAD:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Test your website or app with a screen reader.<\/li>\n<li>Learn about WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).<\/li>\n<li>Add captions to videos and use alt text to describe images.<\/li>\n<li>Attend a GAAD event or webinar.<\/li>\n<li>Advocate for accessibility within your organization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s use this day to take steps toward a more accessible digital world. View the Governor&#8217;s Proclamation on this important observance and register for the GCPD webinar below.<\/p>\n<p>Register:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/txgov-us.zoomgov.com\/webinar\/register\/WN_L12Mh2qnRL25ZYylWjVdRw#\/registration\">https:\/\/txgov-us.zoomgov.com\/webinar\/register\/WN_L12Mh2qnRL25ZYylWjVdRw#\/registration<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Building a Digital World that Works for All Every year, on the third Thursday of May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is observed to spotlight the importance of digital and universal access for all. As&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2025\/05\/15\/zoom-celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness-day-building-a-digital-world-that-works-for-all\/\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[26468,27965,27964,15073,26469,15092,27966,26803],"class_list":["post-45540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-digital-accessibility","tag-dir","tag-gaad","tag-gcpd","tag-global-accessibility-awareness-day","tag-governors-committee-on-people-with-disabilities","tag-marie-cohan","tag-zoom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-bQw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39098,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2019\/05\/04\/webnair-digital-accessibility-the-invisible-challenge-of-the-21st-century\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":0},"title":"Webnair: Digital Accessibility &#8211; The Invisible Challenge of the 21st Century","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Webinar: Digital Accessibility: The Invisible Civil Rights Challenge of the 21st Century Office of the Texas Governor, Greg Abbott Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities Accessibility and Disability Policy Webinar Series Often organizations may not know where to go or how to get started in making their websites and technologies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unnamed-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unnamed-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unnamed-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34479,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2016\/10\/22\/smart-workplaces-use-accessible-technology\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":1},"title":"Smart Workplaces Use Accessible Technology","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Smart Workplaces Use Accessible Technology By Sharron Rush, Executive Director, Knowbility, Inc. Untapped, loyal workforce Employers need to know about a relatively untapped pool of prospective employees who are intelligent, educated, and eager to work. People with disabilities in the workplace have been studied by the US Department of Labor,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40511,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2020\/03\/13\/planning-for-the-digital-accessibility-needs-of-students-with-disabilities-as-part-of-a-campus-mitigation-plan-for-covid-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":2},"title":"Planning for the Digital Accessibility Needs of Students with Disabilities as Part of a Campus Mitigation Plan for COVID-19","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Planning for the Digital Accessibility Needs of Students with Disabilities as Part of a Campus Mitigation Plan for COVID-19 In response to precautions being taken in relation to COVID-19, the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) reminds Texas colleges and universities of their legal responsibility to ensure access to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36383,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/10\/06\/gcpd-announces-accessibility-and-disability-policy-webinars\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":3},"title":"GCPD Announces Accessibility and Disability Policy Webinars","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"GCPD Announces Accessibility and Disability Policy Webinars\u00a0 The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) announces a new free training series on accessibility and disability policy best-practices through ZOOM, a leader in accessible webinar platforms. The GCPD will work with our community partners and colleagues in government to bring you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19995,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/09\/13\/deadline-approaching-apagcpd-accessibility-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":4},"title":"Deadline Approaching: APA\/GCPD Accessibility Awards","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"APA\/GCPD Accessibility Awards Since 2010, the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) has worked with the Accessibility Professionals Association (APA), formerly known as the Texas Registered Accessibility Specialists Association (TRASA), to recognize businesses and organizations that go significantly above and beyond the legal requirements of both physical and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44491,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2023\/09\/18\/celebrate-deaf-awareness-week-with-the-governors-committee-on-people-with-disabilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":45540,"position":5},"title":"Celebrate Deaf Awareness Week with the Governor&#8217;s Committee on People with Disabilities 2023","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Celebrate Deaf Awareness Week with the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities ASL Version (Zoom webpage) The Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, proclaims September 18th through 24, 2023 as Deaf Awareness Week. 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