Accessibility & Technology

Raising Accessibility Awareness 2021

May 20, 2021

Raising Accessibility Awareness 2021

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), started in 2012 and is celebrated on the third Thursday of May. It’s great to have a big celebration once a year, but even better to elevate awareness every day.

Accessibility is defined in its purest simplicity, as easy to deal with or get to. It is the state of things we all wish for. It is good for everyone. Although the word carries broad implications, today it largely pertains to technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is pushing it to new heights. If you live with vision loss, hearing loss, learning or mobility issues, accessibility can literally be the difference between yes and no.

The purpose of GAAD is to get people talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion for all needs. Accessibility is advancing by leaps and bounds, however, awareness of it has not completely followed suit. So, go ahead, start talking it up. Learn something new about your mobile device, computer or smart tech and pass it along. Talk about it in general or in specific terms. Tell a friend, a co-worker or a neighbor and ask them to tell another.

Feel free to get your awareness-raising started right here on OE Patients, where we love to talk about this topic.  Take a stroll through the Accessibility & Technology section or go directly to some of our favorite posts, on the topic, linked below.

Your Smartphone is a Comprehensive Low Vision Device

Accessibility Support Phone Lines

Smart Speakers You Ask They Answer

Elevating Accessibility Awareness Everyday

Accessibility Bridges the Visual Divide

Seeing AI is a Gift from Microsoft

How Ai Compensates Vision Loss

Are You A Dictator?

The Freedom of Speech

10 Things Siri Will Do if You Ask

10 Things to Know About iPhone Accessibility

5 Ways to Make Your Computer At Work Easier To Use

In a short film celebrating GAAD, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s Chief Accessibility Officer restates their commitment to creating a more inclusive world. She says, “Accessibility can be effortless, ubiquitous and empowering to everyone.”

We agree. Watch the video here.

This article was first published May 24, 2018 and update May 20, 2021.

For comments, questions or feedback, email us, or connect on Facebook or Twitter. We would love to hear from you!


About the Author: Dorrie Rush

Dorrie Rush is the Chief Content Officer and Visual Accessibility Expert at Ophthalmic Edge Patients (OE Patients), an online resource, presented by the Association for Macular Diseases, providing practical information and empowering advice for living a full and successful life with vision loss.

She is the former Director of the Grunwald Technology Center and Information Resource Service at Lighthouse International 2001 to 2016. Dorrie is known to have an eccentric view, which is particularly useful in compensating for her central vision loss from Stargardt Disease.

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One Comment

  1. Sean Kim says:

    Thanks for the information, this is very helpful

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