Global Accessibility Awareness Day

At Amara, our mission is to create access to online video content. There is a lot of content out there, but access to that content is not a given. Captions and translated subtitles for online video create access for many people who can not hear or understand the language of the video. 

Why is video accessibility important?

We have all seen a video that inspired us, motivated us, or helped us to improve our lives in some way. And we want that experience to be more accessible to more people. We also believe that creating accessible content fosters a diverse and inclusive media ecosystem.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Thursday May 20th, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)! Since 2012, this day has been recognized on the third Thursday of May as an opportunity to discuss accessibility worldwide. Check out GAAD’s website for virtual events where you can explore, learn, and discover more about digital accessibility. GAAD also has resources to help individuals and organizations make their content and products more accessible.

What is the GAAD Foundation?

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Foundation was formed to mark the 10th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. It is a nonprofit with a mission to elevate accessibility as a core requirement for digital platforms.

What is digital accessibility?

With over 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide, accessibility is essential to creating an equitable digital landscape. Digital accessibility means developing content and technology proactively with disability in mind. Common mistakes that make digital spaces inaccessible are:

• Low contrast text: Choosing colors for text and background can mean the difference between legible and illegible text. Use a color contrast checker to make sure text is readable to viewers who have vision impairments or who are color blind.
• Missing alternative text for images: For users navigating digital spaces with vision impairment, having alternative text for images allows them to use screen readers so they don’t miss out on important image- based information.
• Missing captions for videos: For people with hearing impairments or auditory processing issues, captions are essential for understanding and enjoying video content.
• Difficult keyboard navigation: Point-and-click navigation has been the standard for site navigation for years, but building keyboard navigation into your website creates a welcoming space for people with disabilities in vision, motion control, and more.

What can YOU do?

Creating captions in your language is one simple yet essential step in making online spaces more accessible. Video content is more prevalent than ever, and a lot of work goes into its production. But captions are sometimes left out of that process.

Amara offers free user accounts for people to create subtitles that they can use on Vimeo, YouTube, or download. Check out the Amara Public Workspace or join one of Amara’s volunteer teams, like Amplifying Voices to find videos that need subtitles.

If you are excited to start subtitling, here are a few guidelines to help you feel confident creating accessibility one video at a time.

Happy subtitling!