Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is an annual event that takes place on the third Thursday of May. It is a day to raise awareness of the importance of digital accessibility for people with disabilities or impairments.
What’s the purpose ?
The purpose of Global Accessibility Awareness Day is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion and people with different disabilities. Local GAAD events assist people creating technology products by showcasing how people with disabilities access the web or other digital products using assistive technologies.
GAAD provides an opportunity to learn more about digital accessibility and how you can make a difference. There are a number of ways to get involved, including:
- Attending a GAAD event in your community
- Learning more about digital accessibility
- Advocating for digital accessibility
- Supporting organisations that are working to make the web more accessible
By getting involved in GAAD, you can help to make the web a more accessible place for everyone!
https://accessibility.day
What is website accessibility?
Website accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites so that they can be used by people with disabilities. This includes people who are blind, have low vision, are deaf, have mobility or cognitive impairments.
There are a number of things that can be done to make websites more accessible, such as:
- Using clear and concise language
- Providing alternative text for images and multimedia content
- Making sure that forms are easy to fill out
- Providing keyboard navigation
- Making sure that content is compatible with a variety of assistive technologies
By making websites more accessible, we can ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to use the internet.
Are UK schools required to make their websites accessible?
Schools in the UK are partially exempt;
The government states the following exemptions in its accessibility legislation relating to schools.
These Regulations apply to a website or mobile application of a public sector body, except a website or mobile application of—
“schools or nurseries, except for the content of their websites or mobile applications relating to essential online administrative functions.”
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/852/regulation/3/made
This means that those areas of your website which are used for essential online administration, such as contact forms or where a parent may need to request free school meals, will need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Schools are required to publish an accessibility statement. A copy of this can be found on the government’s website.
How will this benefit my school website?
There are a number of benefits to making school websites and school mobile applications accessible.
First, it makes website content more accessible to people with disabilities. This can help to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn and participate in school activities.
Secondly, accessibility can improve the usability of websites and mobile applications for all users. This is because the accessibility guidelines focus on making web content more understandable, predictable, and consistent.
Thirdly, accessibility can help to improve a school’s reputation. By making its website and mobile applications accessible, a school is demonstrating its commitment to inclusion and equality.
If you’re interested in making your school website design more accessible, send us an email at team@cleverbox.co.uk or alternatively, give us a call on 0208 466 7222.
Further reading
How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference) WebAIM’s WCAG 2 Checklist Understanding WCAG 2.1Sources:
W3C Editor’s Draft Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 Meet CleverboxInterested in finding out more?
See how Cleverbox can help you with your next project