To mark the sixth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Blackboard Inc. will host a series of free and open webinars covering topics on digital access in education. The virtual events, taking place on May 18, will feature presentations from the company’s accessibility experts and leading academics on a “follow the sun” schedule beginning in Sydney, Australia; and throughout the day in London, United Kingdom; Bogota, Colombia; Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, California; Missoula, Montana and Lawrence, Kansas.
The purpose of GAAD is to encourage the design, development, usability and related communities to think, talk and learn about access and inclusion for all learners. On this important day, Blackboard will share approaches and programmes that educational institutions are using to improve digital accessibility, and how they are working to remove barriers in their online learning environments.
“We are proud to mark this important day with a series of global accessibility-focused events,” said Blackboard Chairman, CEO and President Bill Ballhaus. “The webinars will bring together leading academics and our accessibility experts to share best practices and dialogue on how to make online education more accessible for all learners.”
Webinar topics will include:
- Creating a Truly Inclusive Learning Experience
- How Digital Accessibility Can Support an Inclusive and Engaging Learning Experience
- Breaking Barriers: Reaching all Learners through Digital Accessibility (In Spanish)
- The Importance of Accessibility and its Impact on Students
- Creating a University Policy Around Accessibility
- How to Use Industry Standard LMS Features to Create Accessible Courses
- Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series (BITS) Webinar: Accessibility at Blackboard
- Lose the Stigma of Leaving the Classroom
The webinars will feature closed captioning and recordings will be made available following each presentation. For a complete list of presenters and to register, please visit the webinar homepage at: http://webinars.blackboard.com/Global-Accessibility-Awareness-Day.