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It’s hard to imagine life without the internet. We use it for just about everything, from shopping to working, staying in touch with friends, reading the news, and looking up directions.
But for many people, there are still barriers that can make apps or websites difficult or even impossible to use. Details like small fonts or light colored text on light backgrounds can create a frustrating experience for someone trying to access information.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day, celebrated on the third Thursday of May, shines a light on issues like these and encourages us to make the digital world more inclusive.
In this article, we’ll share a few simple ways you can take part, whether you’re a web developer or just someone who uses the internet every day. But first, let’s take a look at how this event came to be.
What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility means designing digital tools and content so that people of all abilities can use them. This means making apps and websites work for people with a diverse range of vision, hearing, movement, and cognitive abilities.
Making the web accessible benefits everyone. For example, providing alternative text (alt text) descriptions for images ensures that people using screen readers can understand the content. It also helps when images fail to load because of a slow internet connection, since the alt text still communicates the message.
Likewise, ensuring that a website has sufficient color contrast not only helps people with low vision, but also benefits those using their phone outside in bright sunlight, where it’s harder to see text.
History of Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Global Accessibility Awareness Day has been an annual event for just over a decade. It was inspired by a blog post about accessibility written by a web developer named Joe Devon.
In the post, Joe floated the idea of a Global Accessibility Day. It would be “a day of the year where web developers across the globe try to raise awareness and know-how on making sites accessible.”
After discovering the post, accessibility professor Jennison Asuncion reached out to Joe about making his idea of a Global Accessibility Day a reality — and the rest is history.
That was 2011. Today, Global Accessibility Awareness Day has become a worldwide event where thousands of web developers and accessibility experts come together to share best practices, learn from each other, and explore ways to make the web more inclusive.
Still, we have a long way to go. More than 98% of website home pages have accessibility issues, according to WebAIM. The most common issues include low contrast text, missing image alt text, empty links, and missing input form labels — all of which can make it difficult or impossible for individuals with disabilities to navigate the site.
5 Ways to Recognize Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Looking for some ideas to learn about accessibility and help raise awareness of this important issue? Here are a few ideas:
1. Learn about accessibility
Even if you’re pretty tech-savvy, you might not be familiar with the idea of web accessibility. Fortunately, there are lots of great resources to learn more about this topic. This 60-second video will give you a quick rundown on what accessibility is and why it’s important. Meanwhile, tech professionals might want to dive deeper with this free course from the University of Illinois on accessibility and inclusive design.
2. Test your website with an accessibility tool
Do you have a website? If so, you’ll want to run it through an accessibility tool. These tools will help to identify accessibility issues and show you how to fix them. The SETWorks team used the WAVE tool, which is available for free, to test and improve the page you’re currently viewing.
3. Contact organizations about inaccessible websites
If you come across a website with major accessibility barriers, don’t hesistate to speak up. Many website owners are not even aware that their website has accessibility issues. Or, they may not understand why accessibility is so important. Your feedback can help them make their website more accessible and inclusive for all. WC3 has some sample emails you can adapt for your use.
4. Make your virtual meetings more accessible
Before you host your next virtual meeting or event, take some simple steps to make it more accessible. WC3 has a free accessibility checklist for meetings, conferences, and events. For example, you might turn on live captions for your Zoom meeting. Or you could describe visual information out loud, such as text and graphics on slides or what is happening during the meeting.
5. Get people with disabilities involved in tech
To truly make technology more accessible, we need more representation for individuals with disabilities in the IT field. Some companies like Microsoft are doing this already through neurodiversity hiring programs. In addition to raising awareness for these programs, we can also promote careers in tech by working to get digital devices into the hands of individuals with disabilities, and advocating for digital literacy in school curriculum and transition plans.
Download the free Disability Events calendar
Every effort counts in the fight for accessibility. Individual acts, such as making a few tweaks to your website or turning on captions for a Zoom meeting, might seem small — but collectively, they make a difference. For more disability-related events and observances you can participate in all year, download our free Disability Events Calendar.
Free Resource: 2026 Disability Events Calendar
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