RESOURCE: Watch 2024 Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) webinar and learn about digital accessibility initiatives across UC

Putting Together the Accessibility Puzzle Pieces: May 16, 2024. UC Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2024

August 19, 2024All Articles, , , ,

On the occasion of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the UC community gathered leaders for webinar called “Putting Together the Accessibility Puzzle Pieces” which took place on May 16, 2024. The Electronic Accessibility Committee hosted this event, which included twelve (12) UC leaders: eight provided presentations with critical insights on accessibility, and four more served on a panel to discuss local accessibility initiatives. The insights shared during this event are summarized below, along with the message that watching this event is critical to those who wish to advance their digital accessibility skills.

Watch the full webinar

UC Global Accessibility Awareness Day webinar (1.5 hours) on May 16, 2024, featuring University of California leaders in the field sharing best practices in their respective domains.

See key chapters from the webinar, segment by segment

  1. [01:27] Introductory Remarks – Molly Greek (UCOP)
  2. [07:46] Panel Discussion about Local Accessibility Initiatives – Andrew Berk (UC Irvine), Suzanne Harrison (UC Berkeley), Jim Phillips (UCSC), Jill Wolters (UCSF)
  3. [31:28] Accessible PowerPoint Tips – Jill Wolters (UCSF)
  4. [41:27] Accessibility in the Classroom – Rachel Leigh Bellofatto (UC Merced)
  5. [54:42] Leading Laterally – Brian McNeilly (UCOP)
  6. [1:03:51] Busting Through the Digital Glass Ceiling of Inaccessibility – Ann Wai-Yee Kwong (UC Berkeley)
  7. [1:10:21] Stardew Valley Video Game Demo with Accessibility Mod – Lucy Greco (UC Berkeley)
  8. [1:21:00] Q&A – Douglas Harriman (UCOP)
  9. [1:24:53] Closing Remarks – Judy Thai (UCOP)

Event take-aways

Digital accessibility is a journey and not a destination. At their respective locations, the leaders who presented are making accessibility a system-wide priority and a practice through improvements such as asynchronous job training, testing UC websites for users with disabilities, and ongoing professional development opportunities on the topic of accessibility. They also taught strategies like making accessible PowerPoints, setting up an accessible classroom, and structuring accessibility point-people at each location. It is important that all members of the UC Tech community continue to advance their skills in digital accessibility. One important step to do this is to watch the 1.5-hour webinar and reference the resources below. 

UC Accessibility Resources from the event