Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Welcome to the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day which, this year, has the theme of online accessibility.

It is a great opportunity for us to reflect on all the adaptations that have been made over the last year to make online activities inclusive to everyone. From online cookery  to art courses  and even virtual camping , You’re Welcome has lots of online events to join in with.

 At the uncertain time of the pandemic, it has been really encouraging to see people thinking about how to make their events accessible. The big organisations have supported this by constantly updating video conferencing platforms like Zoom to make sure they are accessible to those using screenreading technology and anyone who requires subtitles or captions.

Apps continually find creative ways to make accessibility part of their package and social media too is taking big strides in this direction. You can check out our guides on making online activities accessible  and inclusive social media .

Please do get in touch if you think of any tips, we have missed, or you would like some help to put these tips into practice. As a screenreader user, I have been amazed at the amount of support available to me over the last year. Each time I log onto Facebook, I find the auto-generated photo descriptions have become more accurate. I download a new app on my phone each week that helps me do something that didn’t seem possible before and, in a lot of ways, I find online activities more inclusive and easier for me to attend than getting together in a physical space.

 I’ve told you about my highlights on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Now tell us yours in the comments.