Every year, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) serves as a strong reminder for businesses that accessibility is not just a checkbox – it’s a critical component of inclusive digital experiences. As we’ve observed GAAD 2025 here and now, it becomes crucial for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to digital accessibility actively.
Whether a startup or a global enterprise, GAAD offers a prime opportunity to reflect, improve, and showcase how a business is making its digital platform more inclusive for people of all abilities.
GAAD – its gist!
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is observed annually on the third Thursday of May – this year, it fell on May 15, 2025. The goal of GAAD is to get people discussing, brainstorming, and learning about digital access and inclusion, especially for over 1 billion people worldwide with disabilities.
Digital accessibility means websites, mobile apps, documents, and other digital tools are designed and developed adhering to recommended guidelines. Thereby everyone, including those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments, can use them without barriers.
GAAD is important for businesses in terms of digital accessibility!
In today’s competitive landscape, inclusivity is not only a social responsibility – it’s also a strategic investment that yields profits. Here’s why prioritizing accessibility matters:
- Expanded market reach: Making digital content accessible opens the door to millions of users with disabilities and helps businesses reach out to more users.
- Improved SEO & usability: Accessibility best practices often alike to good UX and SEO strategies. Thus, choosing accessibility enhances website’s visibility!
- Legal compliance: Laws like the ADA (U.S.), AODA (Canada), and EN 301 549 (EU) require all digital services and products to conform with them.
- Brand trust & reputation: Customers increasingly prefer brands that value inclusivity and social impact.
Ways to showcase commitment to digital accessibility on and after GAAD 2025!
GAAD 2025 can be a strategic moment to demonstrate business commitment towards accessibility. Let’s understand how a business can get involved and make an impact:
- Conduct an accessibility audit
Begin with assessing all digital assets. Use tools like:
- WAVE, axe DevTools, or Google Lighthouse for basic checks.
- Partner with accessibility consultants for in-depth audits, including manual testing with screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Tip: Share a concise blog or press release about the audit findings and outline the next steps. Transparency builds trust!
- Host or sponsor an accessibility event
Organize a webinar, panel discussion, or internal workshop to educate the teams and community about digital inclusion. Some of the critical topics can be:
- How people with disabilities use technology.
- Designing inclusive UI/UX
- Legal accessibility requirements.
Note: Promote these events on a website and social channels using the #GAAD2025 hashtag.
- Launch an accessibility roadmap
Even if a business is at the beginning of its journey, sharing a roadmap displays accountability and progress. Businesses can include below points in their roadmap:
- Short-term goals (e.g., adding alt text, improving contrast ratios)
- Long-term milestones (e.g., achieving WCAG 2.2 AA compliance)
- A commitment to inclusive hiring and user testing
- Feature accessibility stories from real users
Amplify voices from the community or various teams. Talk to users or employees with disabilities and share their experiences with the digital products and services. This brings authenticity and human connection to the accessibility efforts.
- Update accessibility statement regularly
Ensure to have an updated accessibility statement that:
- Reflects latest status of digital assets and infused improvements.
- Provides contact information for users to report barriers.
- Is early discoverable on the website.
(Read more about Accessibility Statement.)
- Highlight accessible products or services
Use GAAD to showcase products, features, or updates designed with accessibility in mind – such as:
- Keyboard navigation developments
- Screen reader compatibility
- Voice command support
Additional information: Create demo videos, infographics, or tutorials to promote these improvements.
- Engage on social media
Join the much-needed global conversation:
- Use inclusive language and accessible formats (e.g., image alt text, captions on videos).
- Participate in live events or post tweets using #GAAD2025.
- Share behind-the-scenes snippets as a part of accessibility efforts.
Accessibility is a forever journey – not a destination!
GAAD 2025 gave another chance to take stock of accessibility progress, renew business goals, and inspire the audience to join the movement. But true impact comes from embedding accessibility into the business culture every day.
By aligning a brand with digital inclusion, businesses not only doing the right thing – they’re building a future-ready, people-first digital world.
Though GAAD 2025 has given motivations to implement accessibility in digital assets – don’t wait for any special day to prioritize accessibility. Every day is the right day to start and apply accessibility!
Absolutely — here’s a 3 to 4 paragraph call-to-action (CTA) tailored for your GAAD 2025 blog from Skynet Technologies:
Ready to take your digital accessibility efforts to the next level this GAAD 2025? At Skynet Technologies, we believe accessibility isn’t just a requirement — it’s a responsibility. Businesses of all sizes can lead by example and build inclusive digital experiences that welcome everyone, regardless of ability.
Whether you’re just starting accessibility journey or looking to enhance existing initiatives, our team is here to support you. From accessibility audit and remediation services to implementing powerful tools like the All in One Accessibility widget, we offer comprehensive solutions tailored to website accessibility needs.
This Global Accessibility Awareness Day don’t just join the conversation — make a meaningful impact. Show your customers, clients, and partners that your business is serious about digital inclusion. Together, we can create digital spaces that empower every user.
Reach out [email protected] to learn how we can help business showcase its commitment to accessibility.
