The month of May features two important events recognizing disability awareness: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 16th), and Canada’s National AccessAbility Week (May 26 – June 1). In an effort to increase disability awareness and understanding – particularly in relation to technology and our local region – Hackforge partnered with Assisted Living of Southwestern Ontario (ALSO) to host 6 free community events.
With help from Hackforge volunteers and community partnerships, we hosted over 125 virtual and in-person participants. Everyone was given the chance to learn about and discuss topics including accessible web content, disability pride, and the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Many of these events resulted in slide decks and resource recommendations that are too good to keep to ourselves – check them out below:
Slide Decks
UNDOING ABLEISM AS PRAXIS OF DISABILITY PRIDE
Originally facilitated by Evelina Baczewska on Thursday, May 29th, 2024, this slide deck encourages readers to consider ableism and how it appears in every day life.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
From David Best’s presentation on May 16th, 2024, this slide deck discusses the goals of the AODA and the positive impacts of accessibility on businesses.
View on edu.davidbest.ca
(select Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024 as the topic)
Sensory Harmont: Imagining Universal Integration
Presented by David Best on May 30th, 2024, this slide deck focuses on technological innovations that have impacted the disability community and the world at large.
View on edu.davidbest.ca
(select Canada Accessibility Awareness Week 2024 as the topic)
Other Resources
Roll Mobility
A mobile app featuring crowdsourced data to share the accessibility of various businesses and public spaces, both indoor and out.
Access Now
A mobile app and website that allows users to add and view accessibility ratings for stores, attractions, parks, and more.
Braille Display Demonstration
This short video shows how a person who is deafblind might send and receive texts. Braille displays are also used on laptops and desktop computers.
The First Blind Person to Summit Mount Everest
A short form documentary sharing Erik Weihenmayer’s experience climbing the world’s tallest mountain.
Moving forward, Hackforge plans to host regular events on accessible technology, and will make the AccessAbility Week series an annual undertaking. If you are interested in learning more about this programming – or offering a program yourself! – please reach out to info@hackf.org.
This year’s community partners and presenters include:
Thank you once again to everyone who took part in this year’s event!