GAAD 2023 activities by ILO GBDN members

5 May 2023

18 May 2023 marks the 12th Annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Many members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network have activities and events planned. You will find a collection below.

Activities by Multinational Enterprises

Atos

“Towards an Inclusive Horizon”, 18 May 2023, 13:00 – 14:00 (CEST), will explore the Three Horizons model used by the University of the Third Horizon in Scotland. We want to explore how to get from where we are now to where we want to be in this inclusive and equitable society.

Speakers:

John Hicks: Head of Accessibility and Digital Inclusion France – Atos
Emma Urquhart: Accessibility Specialist – Atos
Julia Undeutsch: Front-end developer and accessibility advocate
Alexandre Arnaud: Accessibility specialist – Atos

IBM

At IBM, we want it to be a day when every IBMer takes action! We will have events and activities around the globe for IBMers to join in and take action, whether it be to listen and learn from accessibility experts or learn and earn the IBM Accessibility Foundations digital badge or experience the web in a new way, there will be something for everyone for GAAD 2023!

We welcome everyone to join the State of accessibility panel by Boston Accessibility Meetup, Thursday, 18 May, from 5-6pm ET which will be hosted by Erich Manser, Digital Accessibility Consultant at Harvard University, with accessibility experts IBM’s Phill Jenkins, Richard Schwerdtfeger and Frances West, as they share their thoughts on the state of accessibility today.

Link to State of Accessibility panel: https://www.meetup.com/a11yboston/events/293327571/

Repsol

At Repsol, accessibility is integrated into the plans for any new building and the gradual improvement of existing centers. In this regard, it is worth highlighting the case of the Campus headquarters, inaugurated in 2012 under the slogan “Repsol Campus is for everyone”, which meets universal accessibility criteria. Our commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities is also evident in our more than 500 accessible service stations, which have specific signage, adapted stores and toilets, and the “Press and go” system, among others.

Zain

At Zain, we are committed to preparing and nurturing our workforce on true inclusion across all our touchpoints, from accessibility to hiring to awareness. To further this objective, we are hosting a virtual event internally for our employees on 18 May to celebrate GAAD and raise awareness about the importance of digital accessibility for people with disabilities. Our virtual event will feature an engaging awareness session presented by our employee with a disability from Zain Jordan, who will discuss technology and accessibility and how he is using it in his day-to-day life (session in Arabic). We’ll also be hosting a boot camp where participants will identify and find accessibility opportunities on one of our Zain platforms and compete for an award.

Activities by business networks and non-business entities

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)

Join the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) as they celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) throughout the week of May 15-19! To mark the occasion, EARN will be promoting digital accessibility through a variety of channels, including social media and email outreach. EARN will share accessibility resources from others, including The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), in addition to their resources such as Creating an Accessible and Welcoming Workplace and Be Tech Savvy: Accessible Information & Communication Technology. Throughout the week, they will also amplify GAAD content on their social media channels and feature “Accessibility” on their website. Follow EARN on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to find digital accessibility resources and celebrate GAAD!

Fundación Saraki, Paraguay

The SUMARSE network plans to hold a workshop on accessibility criteria for effective inclusion that will be aimed at company members as well as disseminate a series of materials on the subject such as flyers and videos. This will all take place throughout the month of June.

Movimiento Congruencia, Mexico

On (GAAD), we will send out a newsletter issue that we will share on our official website and social networks to promote universal accessibility in the workplace. Our website. In conjunction with Movimiento Congruencia’s allied companies, we will carry out various activities such as awareness forums, conferences, workshops, and other high-impact and far-reaching activities to raise awareness among organizations on disability, inclusion in the workplace and global accessibility.

MyAbility, Austria

On 24 May, from 15:00-16:30 CEST, we will be holding a webinar on the topic of accessible career sites. This webinar will be in German, and will discuss the connection between digital accessibility and inclusion, as well as three pillars of accessible career pages (technical side, design, and inclusive content) will be explained. The webinar is free and open for anyone to participate.

Registration link: Webinar – Barrierefreie Karriereseiten: Der Schlüssel zu Ihrem Recruiting-Erfolg | myAbility

Qaderoon, Saudi Arabia

In order to promote the continuous awareness about digital access and inclusion, Qaderoon will be sharing a post on social media to celebrate the GAAD as well as share the accessibility guideline of the Digital Government Authority of Saudia Arabia. Moreover, Qaderoon will execute its second round of Tech Bootcamp during Quarter 2 and will provide an educational inclusive experience to all its participants with disabilities.

Red Iberoamericana de Empresas Inclusivas, Latin America

On GAAD, we will hold a conference entitled “Towards a Culture of Accessibility,” given by Luis Quintana, Founder of Todo Accesible. This event aims to raise awareness about the importance and need to make accessibility part of the workplace culture. We invite those who are interested to attend the broadcast on VIMEO on 18 May, 17:00 CEST.

Time reference:

Argentina/Brasil/Uruguay: 12:00
México: 9:00
Colombia/Ecuador/Perú/Panamá/:10:00
Centroamérica: 07:00
Bolivia/Chile/Paraguay/Venezuela:11:00
España (Madrid): 17:00

Registration link: https://vimeo.com/webinars/events/17fb8254-8f6f-4a03-b9ef-2eaad99e3470

Sightsavers

The Kenya Futuremakers Programme funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation is engaging with Bamburi Cement Ltd (La Farge) to undertake an accessibility audit exercise for the company’s public Haller Parker in Mombasa. This will provide the assessment report with recommendations on how the company will improve accessibility of the public park to people with disabilities. This is scheduled to take part in May or early June 2023.

Through the Kenya Business & Disability Network (KBDN), Sightsavers is working with Kenyan employers & business who are part of the KBDN to undertake the self-accessibility assessment using the ILO GBDN self-assessment tool. The tool has been shared with a number of the KBDN members and we expected feedback on or before the next KBDN members meeting in June 2023. New members joining the KBDN will also have the opportunity to be introduced to the tool for their self-assessment.

Uganda Business and Disability Network

Currently, our newest partner is Cyber School Technology Solutions – Mastercard Foundation Uganda with whom we are working together to create more awareness about reasonable accommodation through workshops and other engagements. We are conducting workplace accessibility audits among employers to make workplaces more accessible to persons with disabilities.