Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2026
Join your Ivy+ peers for a free virtual half-day event to explore practical strategies for embedding accessibility across the university. Let's exchange ideas that help make digital resources more accessible for everyone!
Register at: Ivy+ GAAD 2026 Event Registration Form
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Eastern)
All sessions will be hosted via Zoom.
Agenda
12:00 PM ET (10 minutes)
Welcome
Introductions and opening remarks
12:10 PM ET (50 minutes)
Session 1: From Launch to Maturity: Embedding Accessibility Across the Institution
A panel discussion on why and how accessibility can be embedded across university operations.
Mary Albert, Senior Director, Digital Accessibility, Princeton University
Nick Taylor, Accessibility Engineer, Yale University
Melissa Lesica, Senior Director of Content Strategy, Harvard University
Moderator: Teggin Summers, Assistant Dean and Director of Educational Technology, Stanford University School of Medicine
1:05 PM ET (55 minutes)
Session 2: Lightning Talks
Talk #1 - Accessibility of QR Codes — Kevin Murphy, Stanford University
Talk #2 - Piloting Harvard's Canvas Accessibility Assessment Tool (CAAT) — John Williams, Harvard University
Talk #3 - Who Is the Default User? — Anushka K Jajodia, Johns Hopkins University
Talk #4 - A Practical Approach to Accessible Math — John Williams, Harvard University
Talk #5 - InSightFull - The Impact of Math Accessibility on Equitable Access to STEM — Sara Shunkwiler, Johns Hopkins University; Ailee Dixon, Disability Advocate
2:05 PM ET (25 minutes)
Session 3: Including External Partners in Testing
Learn how the University of Chicago partners with external agencies employing people with disabilities to strengthen campus accessibility testing.
Pat Kogos, Director of Digital Accessibility, University of Chicago
2:35 PM ET (25 minutes)
Session 4: How we talk to colleagues about Accessibility
Explore how to frame accessibility as a strategic priority tied to budgets, legal risk, student expectations, and new technology.
Kyle Shachmut, Senior Director of Digital Accessibility Services, Harvard University
3:05 PM ET (55 minutes)
Session 5: Lightning Talks
Talk #6 - Embedding Accessibility into Drupal Editor Workflows: A Dashboard Approach — Albert Hughes, Stanford University
Talk #7 - Editoria11y 3.x: from Sweet to Suite — John Jameson, Princeton University
Talk #8 - AI-Assisted Alt Text for Digital Exhibits: A Stanford University Libraries Pilot — Alan Lundgard, Stanford University
Talk #9 - We Still Need Your Humanity: Manual Accessibility Testing AI Can't Do — Joel Crawford-Smith, Duke University
Talk #10 - Beyond AI: Why Sign Language Requires Human Interpreters — Suany Casson, Harvard University
3:55 PM ET (5 minutes)
Closing Remarks
