To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility will host a public event with our legislative and judicial partners. The event will highlight the unique challenges and opportunities for legislative and judicial offices to adopt digital accessibility practices.

We hope you can join us—here are the event details:

Panel Discussion: Expanding Digital Accessibility: Minnesota Legislative and Judicial Office Initiatives

Time: 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Central time.

Location: Virtual Microsoft Teams Town Hall. Join the MNIT GAAD event.

• Join through the Teams App or by Chrome or Edge browser.
• A recording of this event will be available in mid-June.

Overview: Most digital accessibility efforts in government have focused on the executive branch. The Minnesota State Legislature and Courts have independently adopted accessibility policies. This session will explore how the teams planned and engaged stakeholders to rollout the policies. Presenters will discuss:

• Why their respective branches chose to adopt accessibility as a standard or policy.
• Key challenges in implementing accessibility.
• Strategies, tools, and processes that were useful/helpful.

Speakers

Host:

• Jay Wyant

Panel Participants:

• Jim Melby, Sr. Accessibility Analyst & Lead, Legislative Coordinating Commission
• Molly Rosentreter, Digital Accessibility and Training Coordinator, Legislative Coordinating Commission
• Kate Malmon, Senior Project Manager, Minnesota Judicial Branch
• Suzanne Mateffy, Communications Analyst, Minnesota Judicial Branch

Get Ready for our GAAD No Mouse Challenge!

Prepare to take the challenge on Global Accessibility Awareness Day! Join us for the annual GAAD No Mouse Challenge and see if you can navigate your computer without a mouse for 15 minutes. Use our Quick Card to brush up on common keyboard shortcuts and start practicing! 

Why should I care about navigating with only a keyboard?

Using the keyboard may be the only option for some users, including people who are blind, have low vision, or have difficulty operating a mouse precisely. 

Keyboard-only users must be able to navigate to important features of a computer program or web page on their own. They need an accessible experience that supports assistive technology.