GAAD 2025 was held on 15 May. The AccessCat Network and its research groups took part with several events, now available to watch online.
There are over one billion people worldwide with disabilities and specific accessibility needs. However, according to a 2020 report, 98.1% of websites present at least one accessibility failure. Because of this, GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) was created, with the goal of raising awareness, fostering discussion, and granting visibility to the need to provide solutions in digital accessibility. GAAD 2025 was held on 15 May, and the Network participated for the third year in a row with an event open to entities, researchers, and the general public to learn more about the accessibility landscape in Catalonia.
Sowing the Seeds of Accessibility - GAAD 2025
The AccessCat Network’s goal is to offer solutions to a diverse society where everyone should have access to information, culture, and education. To achieve this, we must work together. The Network serves as a bridge to connect all the seeds of accessibility that have been sown: ranging from research, the social and business fabric, institutions, and the general public. Because of this, we met with all the entities involved and interested in the Network’s mission in an online event in which we showcased the Network’s evolution and the ecosystem that makes AccessCat possible.
Organised by: AccessCat Network
Recording of the session Sowing the Seeds of Accessibility [with subtitles and Catalan Sign Language]
A Directory of AccessCat Network Affiliate Entities was presented during the event, a list of 76 affiliate entities who, through their efforts, sow the seeds of accessibility in society every single day. This tool is useful for researchers, as it provides a list of companies, entities, and organisations in the accessibility sector for future projects, collaborations, et cetera.
Other actions from research groups in the Network were also presented during the event, all organised during GAAD week. You can see the full schedule below:
Accessibility Day MTP
New edition of Accessibility Day by the affiliate entity MTP. Webinar dedicated to bridging the digital divide from different perspectives, featuring a talk by researcher Afra Pascual (GRIHO) on website evaluation.
Organised by: MTP
Recording of Accessibility Day MTP
Event: "Universal Design for Learning and Technological Accessibility: Educating in Equity"
Researcher Afra Pascual (GRIHO) was one of the speakers at the event "Universal Design for Learning and Technological Accessibility: Educating in Equity”, organised by UNED and aimed at professionals in the field of education. During her presentation, she shared practical recommendations for improving the accessibility of educational materials in formats such as PowerPoint, audio, video, Word, PDF, and more.
Organised by: UNED
Recording of the event Educating for Equity
Webinar: "Digital inclusion and accessibility: Leaving no one behind in virtual worlds and the citiverse"
In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Pilar Orero and Sarah McDonagh, researchers from the TransMedia Catalonia research group, participated in the ITU (UN International Telecommunication Union) session Digital Transformation Dialogues with a webinar showcasing the progress made in accessibility and digital inclusion within the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI.
Organised by: International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)
Accessibility in the workplace from a user-journey approach
To commemorate GAAD 2025 (Global Accessibility Awareness Day), Blanca Arias (TraDiLex) discussed accessibility in the workplace in a private invitation-only event organised by Dow Jones.
Organised by: Dow Jones
AccessTalks: “AI and Accessibility: navigating the challenges, exploring the potential”
The TransMedia Catalonia research group launches a new seminar series, AccessTalks. The first session, part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), explored the uses, opportunities, and challenges of artificial intelligence in the field of accessibility. With the participation of researchers Pilar Orero and Chiara Gunella from Transmedia and researcher Horacio Saggion from TALN.
Organised by: TransMedia Catalonia
