There are over one billion people worldwide with disabilities and specific accessibility needs. However, according to a 2020 report, 98.1% of websites across the globe still have at least one accessibility issue. This is why GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) was established to raise awareness, foster discussions, and promote solutions for digital accessibility.

This year, GAAD will take place on May 16. The Network will participate by hosting an online meeting with its affiliated entities. During the event, attendees will learn more about the Network's evolution and the work of the affiliated entities, providing a great opportunity to explore the social and cultural landscape dedicated to accessibility.

This event is only one of the many activities organised by the Network's research groups to commemorate GAAD week. You can check the full agenda below:

Digital Accessibility Day

A workshop intended for staff from the Government of Catalonia’s departments and public sector organisations to learn about new regulatory and technological developments in accessibility and directions for future work. 

Organised by: Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya)

Participants: Anna Matamala (AccessCat Network director and TransMedia Catalonia, UAB); Horacio Saggion (TALN, UPF); Estel·la Oncins Noguer (TransMedia Catalonia, UAB).

When: May 14th, 10 am to 2 pm

Webinar: “Ensuring an Inclusive & Accessible Green Transition”

This webinar will tackle significant environmental challenges and emphasise the need to consider gender, disabilities, age, cultures, and other intersectional factors in order to ensure a truly inclusive green transition. 

Organised by: TransMedia Catalonia

When: May 15th, 1 pm to 2:30 pm

GAAD 2024 at Dow Jones

External speaker session with Prof. Horacio Saggion, Chair in Computer Science and AI at Pompeu Fabra University. He will speak about the updates in the field of Accessibility and Natural Language Processing, with a specific focus on text simplification technology for people with cognitive disabilities.

Organised by: Dow Jones

Speaker: Horacio Saggion (TALN, UPF)

When: May 16th, 11 am to 12:30 pm

"Artificial Creativity: What is the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Creativity?"

17th TransMedia International Meeting

The 17th edition of the TransMedia International Meeting takes place on this year's edition of GAAD. The event will consist in a presentation by Fernanda Rocha (CFO and founder of Blackbot, Blackschool, and BCI) and Jon Black (CEO of Blackbot).

Organised by: TransMedia Catalonia

When: May 16th, 11 am to 12.30 pm

Accessibility Day MTP

Webinar on the accessibility evaluation of a website. A series of presentations on how to make web environments accessible and the items to consider. 

Organised by: MTP

Speaker: Afra Pascual (GRIHO, UdL)

When: May 16th, 12 pm to 2 pm

GAAD 2024 - Meeting with the AccessCat Network

We are meeting with the affiliated entities to get to know each other, share common experiences related to accessibility, and discover the research conducted by the Network's research groups. 

Organised by: AccessCat Network

When: May 16th, 4 pm to 5 pm

CROMA: “Seeing with the Ears, Listening with the Eyes”

Visit from students who participated in the CROMA project (by FAS) to showcase the results of their work on accessible audiovisual creation in their schools. This event is part of GAAD Month 2024.

Organised by: TransMedia Catalonia

When: May 21st