Global Accessibility Awareness Day – May 15, 2025

Join CETLOE on Thursday, May 15^th for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a day dedicated to creating accessible learning environments at Georgia State University!

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), observed annually on the third Thursday of May, shines a light on digital access and inclusion for over one billion people with disabilities and impairments worldwide. Its core purpose is to encourage everyone to talk, think, and learn about creating digital environments that are accessible to all. GAAD inspires all stakeholders to build with accessibility in mind, ensuring that everyone has equal access to the digital world.

In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, CETLOE (Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Online Education) is hosting a day of insightful sessions designed to empower faculty and staff with the tools and knowledge to build accessible courses and resources. By prioritizing accessibility, we are actively engaging in placemaking within our educational environment, creating spaces where every student can authentically express their identity and have equal opportunities to engage with course content and achieve academic success.

Why Attend?

Gain practical skills and knowledge to enhance your courses.
Learn about the latest accessibility guidelines and best practices.
Connect with colleagues and share ideas.
Contribute to GSU's commitment to equity and access for all students.

Student Voices on iCollege Accessibility – 10 to 10:55 a.m.

What accessibility issues do GSU students encounter in iCollege? Learn how to make your courses more accessible with recommendations based on new data. In Spring 2025, CETLOE partnered with AACE to survey students' experiences. Explore these findings with CETLOE specialists in accessibility, learning experience design, and user experience design.
The presenters are User Experience Designer Taylor Burch, Learning Experience Designers Abby Greenbaum, Mary Helen Hoque, and Dr. Jared Jones with Accessibility Specialist Dr. Spring Brennan.

Preparing Your Course for the 2026 ADA Deadline – 11 to 11:55 a.m.

Join us for an overview of the ADA and WCAG standards for courses and course content, as well as tools and strategies to help make your courses ADA-compliant. In 2024, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was updated with a deadline of April 2026 for making all web and mobile content accessible to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1, Level AA) standards. Dr. Spring Brennan will look at tips for creating courses that meet these new standards as well as providing insights into common accessibility hurdles faced by our students.
The presenter is Dr. Spring Brennan who serves as CETLOE's Accessibility Specialist and holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia.

Integrating UDL Strategies into Your Course with the +1 Method! – Noon to 12:55 p.m.

Last year, a CETLOE book club discussed the challenge of accommodating different student learning needs, abilities, and preferences in different learning contexts. Over the year, they developed strategies that expand access to students with varying learning needs without requiring a complete redesign of the course.
Dr. Kathryn Crowther (Associate Director of Teaching Effectiveness), Tia Gibbs (Director of Academic Advisement and Bar Success), Aime Siedman (Sr. Lecturer English), Allison Williams (Associate Professor Mathematics) will discuss how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for creating coursework, activities, and assignments that are accessible to as many students as possible drawing from work in their own courses. Specifically, they will look at how the +1 method makes UDL a feasible strategy for broadening access in your classes.

From Compliance to Connection – 1 to 1:55 p.m.

Does your iCollege content meet accessibility standards? This session provides essential instruction to equip you with the knowledge and practical skills to begin identifying and correcting accessibility issues in iCollege using built in course tools and supplemental learning applications. Additionally, we’ll look at building accessible course content and delve into the world of accessibility features, showing you how to leverage them to ensure your creations are accessible for all users.
The presenter is Marquisa Jenkins, Lead Learning Technologist in CETLOE supporting accessibility and student initiatives.

Library Resources for Accessible Course Content – 2 to 2:55 p.m.

Join librarians Jason Puckett and Denise George to discover how the library's robust resources, including eBooks and articles, meet accessibility guidelines. We'll demonstrate practical examples of library resources and reveal how your subject librarian can partner with you to provide course content from the library. We’ll also discuss how we design and develop accessible library-produced instructional materials, such as web-based guides and video tutorials.

For More Information

Any questions about GAAD at GSU please reach out to [email protected]. You can also find more information about CETLOE at our website, including how to schedule appointments with our team.