Welcome to Disability: IN’s monthly round up of digital accessibility news for August.
At Disability:IN we know that digital accessibility impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. If you have questions about our digital accessibility program, please contact Jeff Wissel, our Chief Accessibility Officer.
Disability:IN Annual Global Conference and Expo Recap
The Disability:IN 2022 Annual Conference was a resounding success. There were almost 4,000 in-person and virtual participants who shared a common bond and passion for accessibility and disability inclusion. Below are a few announcements from the conference.
The Procure Access Initiative and the Procure Access Statement were announced during the Accessibility Plenary on Tuesday July 19th. A slide was displayed listing the 19 Inaugural Partners who signed the statement.
Procure Access Initiative
Welcome to Procure Access! Launched in July 2022, Procure Access is a business-to-business initiative facilitated by Disability:IN and a new component of the Disability:IN Digital Accessibility Program. It brings together companies that recognize the importance of buying and selling technology that is accessible to people with disabilities.
Procure Access companies believe that accessible procurement is essential to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts and is part of the foundation of a disability-inclusive workforce and customer base. The initiative develops and shares best practices for both buyers and sellers in a global cross-industry effort to grow the number of companies with accessible procurement programs.
Procure Access Statement
The Procure Access Statement describes the pressing need to expand the number of businesses of all sizes that prioritize accessible procurement. The Statement identifies obstacles facing both buyers and sellers committed to technology products and services that disabled employees and customers can use. And it establishes shared goals of the companies who have signed the Statement, such as “Encourage the sharing of transparent, current, and accurate information about technology product and service accessibility.”
Read Procure Access Statement and Signing Companies.
Watch the Procure Access Initiative and Procure Access Statement launch during the Disability:IN 2022 Conference.
Procure Access – Disability in 2022 Conference.mp4
Digital Accessibility Program Portal
The Digital Accessibility Program portal is now live on DisabilityIN.org. Here you will find a centralized listing of accessibility resources.
Upcoming Digital Accessibility Events at Disability:IN
- September 22: The Fourth 2022 meeting of the Disability:IN Accessibility Leadership Committee. All Disability:IN partners are invited to participate. Please contact Mackenzie Ward with questions about the committee.
- September 21: Reasonable Accommodations Working Group Email Mylene Padolina to register.
Other Digital Accessibility Conferences and Events
- September 7 – 8: Web Accessibility in Mind Conference (Lainey Feingold will be a guest speaker)
Digital Accessibility Information and Resources
The Disability:IN digital accessibility team knows that the amount of accessibility resources can be overwhelming. Each month we share just a few of the many free resources from our Resource Library, our blog, our partners, or other sources that we think are great. Don’t forget to explore the Disability:IN Resource Library where you can filter resources by “accessibility” and find content created by Disability:IN and our partners.
Here are some resource suggestions for this month. If you are a Disability:IN partner and would like your accessibility resources featured in our monthly roundup, please let us know at [email protected].
External resource suggestions for this month are:
New Directory Lists Accessible Windows Programs
Laufware recently launched a directory of accessible Windows programs. Categories include Audio Players, Keyboard Shortcuts, Screen Readers, and many others. More than two hundred programs are listed. The website also highlights podcasts of interest to the blind and low-vision community. For more information, visit: https://laufware.com/
15 Tips to Make Meetings More Accessible for Everyone
Here is an article on making your online presentations and meetings more accessible: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/15-tips-for-more-accessible-meetings
News about the Disability:IN Digital Accessibility Team
24 Hours of GAAD Global Accessibility Awareness Day
We are thrilled to announce 24 Hours of GAAD that will take place on May 17th – 18th, 2023!!! We will be featuring 8 hours of globally produce accessibility related content we will re-broadcast to be inclusive of all time zones.
Highlights:
- 8 hours of accessibility related content provided by Disability:IN Partners
- Each session will have representation from APAC, LATAM, EMEA and North America
- All sessions will be professionally produced and pre-recorded
- All recordings will be completed by April 28, 2023
- All sessions will include ASL, International Sign, CART and Stream Text in other languages
- All Disability:IN Partners will have access to the 24 Hours of GAAD broadcast
- Sponsorship Opportunities are available
To learn more about Sponsorship Opportunities please reach out to Mackenzie Ward.
