By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility

Global Accessibility Awareness Day  (GAAD) 2023 is Thursday, May 18, 2023 – number 12 if you are keeping track! All of us can take part by sharing information about digital accessibility with our communities. This may include your coworkers, supervisors, and community members. We know you are busy, so we’ve gathered a list of things you may need for a successful campaign!

Walk the Digital Accessibility Walk

Remember: Model good digital accessibility when sharing information about GAAD using:

• Documents: 
  • Use the accessibility checker.
  • Check the color contrast.
• Social media:
  • Add alternative text to images.
  • After links to videos, add (VIDEO) to alert your followers what the link may open.
  • Videos should have captions and audio description. 
  • Infographics: Check for accessibility before posting.
• Emails:
  • If using more than 2 paragraphs, consider adding properly structured headings.
  • Add alternative text to images.
  • Follow the same accessibility best practices you follow for documents.
• Webpages:
  • Reach out to your colleagues for help testing if you are newer to digital accessibility.

General Digital Accessibility Awareness Resources

Consider adding these to your campaigns:

• No Mouse Challenge – Learn about using digital information without a mouse. This includes a link to the Keyboard Shortcuts quick card.
• Experience Lab – Information and activities people can try. They will learn more about cognitive, hearing, motor, and vision disabilities.
• The Office of Accessibility home page – This includes links to the “Why Accessibility Matters” videos (version with captions, version with audio description), and the full set of quick cards.

Resources for Each Type of Digital Technology

In 2021 we provided a list of digital technology resources on our website. This information is still available: Free Digital Accessibility Resources from the state of Minnesota. 

In addition to the information listed above, we have new resources:

• Accessible PDF Training – free e-Learning on how to create accessible PDF documents. Each module is short, and focuses on a single topic. 
• Data Visualization Accessibility – Information for those using Power BI, Tableau, and people wanting data visualization basics.

Blog Articles from the Past

Want to see what we have done during previous years? Check out how our GAAD campaigns and events change each year! Some have links to videos you can review on YouTube.

2015

Announcing Minnesota’s No-Mouse Challenge 

• This is the first Global Accessibility Awareness Day blog article on our website! Many things have changed since then, but the basics remain the same.

2016

Try Doing Your Job Without Using a Mouse 

• The article asks readers “Have you ever counted the number of times you ‘click’ your mouse button in a minute?” It includes ideas for moving your awareness of accessibility into action steps.

2018

Mark Your calendars 

• The second half of this article includes activity ideas for people wanting to get involved with Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Recap 

• In 2018 the Office of Accessibility and digital accessibility coordinators spread out the activities over an entire week! Many groups came together at different locations to learn and celebrate about different topics.

2020

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Proclaims Digital Accessibility Awareness Day 

• “It is critical that we always recognize the need for inclusion and accessible services” – Governor Tim Walz.

Celebrating Digital Accessibility in the State of Minnesota 

• This article highlighted speakers from our virtual event “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.”

2021

Resources to Use for Your GAAD Celebrations

• The Office of Accessibility wants everyone to have what they need to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day. 

Health Information and Digital Accessibility Discussed on GAAD

• As the world continued to experience the pandemic, state government leaders discussed the importance of digital accessibility. 

Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All

• Recordings include planning for reasonable accommodations, pre-meeting preparations, setting a baseline for all meetings, and all people needed that year to have more accessible online meetings.

2022

Six Short Programs on Accessibility and Disability Topics

• Page providing brief descriptions and links to presentations and transcripts of six different presentations. The following links are to the recordings only.

Introduction to Accessibility Standards (Video)

• Learn what accessibility guidelines are and how they change over time.

End User Impact of Accessibility Standards (Video)

• A conversation with people with disabilities about their experiences. 

Buying Accessible Technology (Video)

• Learn about the “happy path” to buy accessible technology – including accessibility at the beginning.

Projects that Shift Left for Accessibility (Video)

• A case study on incorporating accessibility from the beginning.

Creating Accessible Visual Content (Video)

• Graphic designers, content creators, and trainers can learn how to make documents, PDFs, and forms that everyone can understand.

Web Application Accessibility (Video)

• Experts from the Minnesota Department of Revenue share how they created processes, tools, and resources to resolve accessibility challenges that developers face.