Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a community-driven worldwide effort in its 15th year. It is held annually on the third Thursday of May and is dedicated to:
raising the profile of and introducing the topic of digital (web, software, mobile app/device etc.) accessibility and people with different disabilities to the broadest audience possible.
This year's University of Minnesota's GAAD theme is Design, Develop, Deliver.
The keynote presenter is Dr. Shanna Katz Kattari an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. With a steadfast commitment to social justice and equity, Dr. Kattari's research and advocacy efforts have focused on understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities, particularly within the realms of gender, sexuality, and disability, including neurodiversity. Dr. Kattari's presentation is titled "At the Intersection of Access and Justice".
3 Tracks are Offered
Track A
- Accessible by Design: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and ARIA Techniques That Scale
- A11y: A Developer's Guide to Retrofitting Sites for WCAG Compliance
- Where did my (keyboard) focus go?
Track B
- Designing and Building Accessible Email Communications
- Math Accessibility
- What's Metadata Got To Do With It?
Track C
- Supporting Accessibility Across Languages
- Building Confidence Through Better Accessibility Conversations
- Open-Source Web Accessibility Tools from the University of Illinois
Full Program of Events
For the full program, visit Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2026.
Registration is Required
Register on the GAAD 2025 Conference Registration Form.
Accommodations
Live captioning will be provided for all sessions. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided during the keynote session.
Questions?
Email the the planning committee at [email protected].