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Office of the Texas Governor, Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Building a Digital World that Works for All

Every year, on the third Thursday of May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is observed to spotlight the importance of digital and universal access for all. As our world becomes increasingly digital, it's essential that websites, applications, and digital content are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring equal access for everyone regardless of their ability.

Over one billion people live with a disability. Accessible digital design helps people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities navigate and interact with technology effectively.

GAAD is not just a day to raise awareness, but also a call to action. It challenges designers, developers, educators, and content creators to learn about and implement inclusive practices.

The State of Texas has made significant efforts to support accessibility through various initiatives. For example, the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) provides guidance and resources to ensure state agencies comply with accessibility requirements. You can visit the DIR Accessibility Page [ [link removed] ] to explore tools, standards, and training materials. Each state agency and state college or university also has a dedicated EIR accessibility coordinator that helps ensure state digital content is accessible to all.

In honor of GAAD, GCPD is hosting a webinar on May 28th from 10 to 11 a.m. about Digital Accessibility for Texas and Texans. GCPD has invited Marie Cohan, the Statewide Digital Accessibility Officer at DIR, to present about how government agencies and higher education institutions in Texas make their websites accessible for Texans. This webinar will include information about digital accessibility policy in Texas government, best practices for application and web development, and how the state technology office (DIR) supports state agencies and universities to ensure interactions with state technology are accessible. Register for the webinar [ [link removed] ] and gain valuable insight about how Texas contributes to global accessibility.

Whether you're a developer, teacher, manager, or content creator, there are simple ways to participate in GAAD:


* Test your website or app with a screen reader [ [link removed] ].
* Learn about WCAG [ [link removed] ] (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
* Add captions to videos and use alt text to describe images.
* Attend a GAAD event or webinar.
* Advocate for accessibility within your organization.

Let’s use this day to take steps toward a more accessible digital world. View the Governor's Proclamation [ [link removed] ] on this important observance and register for the GCPD webinar below. 

Webinar Registration [ [link removed] ]


The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities provides GovDelivery updates for informational purposes on a variety of disability related issues for a diverse audience. Updates may include information provided by external sources. The inclusion of this external information does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Committee or the Office of the Governor of any information, policy, product, or service offered by an external source.

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