Events & Activities

(german below) Since 2018 the accessibility working group of the German UPA (professional association of german usability and user experience professionals) publishes a series of articles to raise awareness of digital accessibility and make existing knowledge and information accessible for UX professionals. All articles (including those from previous years) are publicly accessible all times at www.fronta11y.org The CfP open until April 1st: https://forms.gle/JAza26JGZCLkxeJ56 join us! — (unten auf Deutsch) Seit 2018 veröffentlicht die Arbeitskreis Barrierefreiheit der German UPA (Berufsverband der deutschen Usability- und User-Experience-Professionals) eine Reihe von Artikeln, um das Bewusstsein für digitale Barrierefreiheit zu schärfen und vorhandenes Wissen und Informationen für UX-Professionals und allies zugänglich zu machen. Alle Artikel (auch die aus den Vorjahren) sind jederzeit unter www.fronta11y.org öffentlich erreichbar. Der Aufruf zur Einreichung von Beiträgen läuft bis zum 1. April: https://forms.gle/JAza26JGZCLkxeJ56 Mach mit!

This May, Level Access is offering a full month of programming designed to educate, inspire, and empower organizations to advance digital accessibility. Visit our GAAD hub for exclusive training opportunities, including free access to the Level Access Academy, our online learning platform, for the Month of May. You’ll also find on-demand workshops with accessibility experts and a readymade kit for planning and executing an impactful GAAD celebration at your organization.

WCAG 2.2 Essentials for Education: Actionable Steps to Accessible Digital Content – Watch the On-Demand Webinar

In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re opening up access to one of our most valuable expert sessions, originally held on September 26, 2024, as a closed, webinar for a selected group of industry professionals. We’re now making the full recording publicly available, because the insights shared remain just as timely and essential for anyone working toward WCAG 2.2 compliance. With over 20 years of experience in developing accessible digital educational content, Learnetic brings together leading voices in accessibility and educational publishing to share practical guidance and real-world strategies.

Webinar covers:

🔹Legal perspectives: Understanding the implications of WCAG 2.2 compliance for your organization.
🔹Actionable insights: Practical steps to ensure your content meets accessibility standards.
🔹Best practices: Proven strategies to implement accessibility features effectively.
🔹Real-world examples: Case studies showcasing the successful integration of accessibility in educational content. Hosted by: Rafał Romejko, Head of International Operations at Learnetic Featured

Speakers:

👉 Simon Mellins, Accessibility Consultant at Simon Mellins Consulting – assists publishers globally in managing accessibility transformation. He is a recognized expert, having spoken at conferences hosted by the International Publishers Association (IPA), Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), Inclusive Publishing @ DAISY, Irish Publisher’s Association, London Book Fair, and more.
👉 Agata Zając, Senior Project Manager at Learnetic – an interactive content editor, translator, proofreader, and methodologist with extensive experience, Agata specializes in ensuring educational materials comply with international digital accessibility regulations.
👉 Aleksandra Krawczyk, CEO at Learnigo.com – with a background as a speech-language pathologist and content editor, Aleksandra leads Learnigo, the largest online library of interactive digital resources for SLPs, OTs, and special educators.

The European Accessibility Act (EEA) is set to take effect soon, introducing new accessibility requirements for digital products and services, including educational content. Starting June 28, 2025, all educational publishers distributing digital materials within the European Union will need to ensure their content complies with WCAG 2.2 standards. In the UK, monitoring of websites and applications of public services began even earlier, in October 2024. If you’re involved in creating or adapting digital educational resources, now is a good time to understand what these changes mean and how to prepare. The recording will be available starting May 7 and can be watched on-demand through the end of the year 2025.

Online event of Accesibility where we will teach how to audit a web, the problems with the overlays, and a case study of an app called KWIDO.

Nutzt Eure Kaffeepause für Inputs und Diskussionen zu aktuellen Themen der digitalen Barrierefreiheit. In der Woche rund um den GAAD erwarten Euch jeweils um 14:00 Uhr Kurzvorträge, gefolgt von einer offenen Diskussionsrunde. Jede Sitzung dauert 30 Minuten: 15 Minuten Input und 15 Minuten Diskussion. Wir freuen uns auf Eure Teilnahme und einen gemeinsamen (digitalen) Kaffee!

Habt ihr euch schon mal gefragt, welche technischen Hilfsmittel euch im Studium unterstützen können? Im Rahmen vom Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) stellt das Kompetenzzentrum Digitale Barrierefreiheit NRW seine neue Datenbank vor, assistive Technologien (aT.NRW) – ein echtes Must-have für alle, die hindernisfreier durch ihr Studium kommen wollen. In der einstündigen Session zeigen wir euch, welche Tools für welche Bedarfe es gibt, wie sie euch im Uni-Alltag helfen können und beantworten eure Fragen. Außerdem erfahrt ihr, welche Hochschulen in NRW welche Hilfsmittel anbieten. Kommt vorbei und entdeckt das eine oder andere Tool, was euch möglicherweise im Studium helfen könnte. Referent*innen Rose Jokic und Tom Leimbrock stellen euch die Datenbank mit all den Angeboten der Hochschulen in NRW vor und beantworten eure Fragen zur Nutzung.

Celebremos el Día Mundial de la Concienciación sobre la Accesibilidad (GAAD) con un webinar donde hablaremos con Cecilia Geraldo quien nos contará sobre accesibilidad en aplicaciones móviles, buenas prácticas para desarrolladores mobile, su experiencia incorporando accesibilidad al frontend, entre otros temas. Incorporar accesibilidad en nuestros productos y servicios permitirá que una mayor cantidad de personas accedan a sus contenidos, interactúen con una interfaz comprensible y realicen cualquier tipo de transacción o trámite, especialmente personas con discapacidad y personas mayores, quienes se enfrentan día a día a las barreras generadas por un diseño no inclusivo.

Nutzt Eure Kaffeepause für Inputs und Diskussionen zu aktuellen Themen der digitalen Barrierefreiheit. In der Woche rund um den GAAD erwarten Euch jeweils um 14:00 Uhr Kurzvorträge, gefolgt von einer offenen Diskussionsrunde. Jede Sitzung dauert 30 Minuten: 15 Minuten Input und 15 Minuten Diskussion. Wir freuen uns auf Eure Teilnahme und einen gemeinsamen (digitalen) Kaffee!

Join us for a free webinar to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Share this with your colleagues and friends to raise awareness about the importance of digital accessibility! What we’ll cover: Starting out or continuing to improve maturity, the impact of digital accessibility on assistive technology users and what automated tools won’t show you. The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people globally with disability. We will learn from our Digital Accessibility Practice Technical Lead, Beau Vass about ‘A false sense of accessibility: What automated testing tools are missing’. It is widely stated that automated accessibility testing tools find around 20-30% of accessibility issues. What is not as widely reported is what that means in practice; what issues can be found? How significant are the 80% of issues that cannot be found? By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these tools, we can understand where and how (and if at all) these tools fit into our accessibility strategy, and what else we need to do to ensure our digital systems are accessible and usable for everyone. We are thrilled to be joined by John Paul Cruz, a disability policy and digital accessibility and inclusion specialist with a focus on human rights, accessibility, child rights, digital transformation, health information, and urban development. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, researching the improvement of online health information accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision. John will share his experience on the significance of digital accessibility for assistive technology users and provide insights to support organisations on their digital accessibility and inclusion journey.

Accessibility goes beyond code — and AI alone won’t fix it. Building a truly inclusive future requires intentional innovation. Reinaldo Ferraz, from NIC.br, coordinates the ABNT working group responsible for Brazil’s technical standard on accessibility for mobile apps and web pages. He is also a professor at PUC-SP and author of books on the topic. [PORT] Acessibilidade vai além do código – e IA sozinha não resolve. Para construir um futuro realmente inclusivo, é preciso inovação com intenção. Reinaldo Ferraz, do NIC.br, que coordena o grupo de trabalho da ABNT responsável pela norma técnica brasileira de acessibilidade em aplicativos móveis e páginas web, professor da PUC-SP e autor de livros sobre o tema.