You might sometimes wonder if your actions matter with social impact causes. Can just one person or one company make a difference in changing a global issue? The answer… is yes. And when it comes to web accessibility, your website counts!
That’s why, for this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we kicked off a campaign with the hashtag #ourwebsitecounts. The goal was to spark thought and conversation about digital accessibility.
This special day is all about shining a light on accessibility and inclusion. For us here at accessiBe, it’s an incredible day to be proud and grateful for our community of partners and customers, ensuring their websites and other digital assets are accessible to everyone. Each GAAD is a powerful opportunity to look at what has changed in the accessibility space that year. Thanks to our incredible nonprofit partners, we have seen and collaborated on many impactful projects over the past year. So for GAAD 2024 the goal was to encourage everyone—from developers to designers to leaders—to make accessibility a priority.
#OurWebsiteCounts: Celebrating accessible websites
#OurWebsiteCounts was shared on May 16th by hundreds of businesses and organizations worldwide. Thanks to our community of accessibility champions, the impact was felt across social media platforms. Companies from all industries, and nonprofits big and small, proudly showcased their choice to be accessible and inclusive.
It was awesome to see our phenomenal customers, like Baked Cravings NY utilize Instagram to share their accessibility pride.
And hundreds of our nonprofit partners, like the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind who shared #ourwebsitecounts on Linkedin, and those like the Ehlers-Danlos Society who shared on Facebook.
A webinar to learn practical tips for inclusion
With the increasing number of websites becoming accessible daily, we know that there’s a big demand for a better understanding of accessibility and practical tools for inclusion for brands. There are so many seemingly small but high-impact changes you can make to include people with disabilities in your marketing and online presence. We roll out monthly articles to help inclusive brands make their websites, marketing assets, and workplaces more accessible.
Here are a few accessibility best practices that you can implement tomorrow:
1. Add Alt Text to Your Social Media Posts
2. Use Inclusive Language & Disability Terminology
3. Write Accessible Emails
4. Host Accessible Webinars
In honor of GAAD 2024, we hosted a webinar for our customers and partners to drive more inclusive practices across our community. Hundreds of attendees learned the ins and outs of inclusive language, accessible design practices, and more.
Influencers use their voices for accessibility
We also teamed up with some amazing disability influencers who shared why it’s so important that they are “counted” as valuable consumers and users by businesses and platforms. The real-life insights shared, like from blind content creator and broadcaster Lucy Edwards, are great reminders for all of us as to why accessibility matters and how it can transform the online experience for millions of people.
Digital accessibility is on the rise
This year GAAD feels a bit different. With Colorado’s recently passed legislation requiring state and local government websites to meet specific accessibility standards, digital accessibility is part of a larger trend toward making accessibility the norm rather than the exception.
As awareness grows and more regions adopt similar laws, businesses, and organizations will continue to make changes toward inclusion. We were blown away by the desire across businesses and organizations to celebrate accessibility and make an impact. GAAD 2024 has set the bar high for awareness, and by next year, with the continued enthusiasm and pride for accessibility, we are hopeful that the internet will be an even more inclusive space.