Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) came and went last Thursday, as it does each year on the third Thursday in May. Once again, we missed it.
Here’s the thing: we don’t mind.
Not because GAAD isn’t important — it absolutely is. It shines a vital spotlight on digital inclusion and encourages conversations that need to happen. However, for us, accessibility is not a single day in the calendar. It is our daily focus.
Accessibility is in every accessibility audit we carry out. It is in the code we check, the screen reader testing we run, and the honest reports we deliver. It’s in the feedback sessions we hold with clients. It’s in the conversations we have with organisations that want to do better and sometimes those that aren’t sure how.
A compliant website isn’t just a technical exercise. It’s a signal of integrity. It says: we see you. We welcome you. You belong here.
The truth is, you can miss GAAD and still make a difference. You can skip the hashtags and still prioritise inclusive design. This is because accessibility isn’t a moment — it is a mindset. When you’ve carried out countless accessibility audits, as we do day in and day out, you know that it is not a checkbox or a deadline. It’s a process. A responsibility. A culture.
As we approach 28 June 2025 and the enforcement of the European Accessibility Act, it is more important than ever to embed this thinking into every digital touchpoint.
The best way to start? An accessibility audit. One carried out by people who truly understand lived experience.
Let us not wait for next year’s GAAD to talk about access.
Let us make accessibility something we do every single day.