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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><img width="260" height="77" style="width:2.7083in;height:.802in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image004.png@01DBC32A.08754EF0" alt="Global Accessibility Awareness Day logo"></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">May 15 is <a href="https://accessibility.day/">
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)</a>.</span></b><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> This is a time to celebrate, reflect, and recommit to building a more inclusive digital world. The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking,
and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people with disabilities worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2>Digital Accessibility Definition:<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The inclusive practice of ensuring there are no barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to, websites, apps, and documents by people with disabilities. When digital content is correctly
designed and developed, more users have equal access to information and functionality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2>Accessibility Benefits Everyone, Not Just Individuals with Disabilities:<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Accessible design leads to a more intuitive and pleasant user experience for all. Accessibility promotes inclusivity by ensuring that everyone can participate in the same way, regardless of
their abilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2>Turn Awareness to Action:<o:p></o:p></h2>
<h3 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Watch a 3-minute Disability Awareness video. <o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkz-UNuvve0">Disability Sensitivity video</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Follow our protagonist, Bob, as he learns how to interact with people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h3 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Read about updated disability language.<span style="font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">This is a great <a href="https://ncdj.org/style-guide/">Disability Style Guide</a> from the National Center on Disability and Journalism. Or, check out the book <a href="https://emilyladau.com/book/">Demystifying
Disability</a> by Emily Ladau.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2>The Time is Now:<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The revised Title II regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandate that state and local governments comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Levels
A and AA, by April 24, 2026. This requirement applies to the accessibility of websites, mobile applications, and other digital content made available to the public by entities such as public schools, universities, libraries, and other government agencies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Trade Gothic Next Heavy",sans-serif;color:#002060">Together, we can make this happen!!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#003764"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#003764"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Title: SBCTC logo - Description: Compass " style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:7.25pt;width:45.1pt;height:84.5pt;z-index:251659264;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:page;mso-height-relative:page'>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width="60" height="113" style="width:.625in;height:1.177in" src="cid:image005.png@01DBC32D.7D3595D0" align="left" hspace="12" alt="Title: SBCTC logo - Description: Compass " v:shapes="Picture_x0020_5"><![endif]><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Vicki
Walton<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:10.55pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Pronouns: they/them<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Web Accessibility Specialist/IT Quality Assurance Tester<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.55pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764"><a href="mailto:vwalton@sbctc.edu•">vwalton@sbctc.edu•</a></span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">
office: 360-704-4343• </span><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">website:
<u><a href="https://www.sbctc.edu/default.aspx"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.sbctc.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.9pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Accessibility is a fundamental right<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="600" height="5" style="width:6.25in;height:.052in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.gif@01DBC327.A23B0780" alt="Rainbow line"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Accessibility is not a checkbox. Accessibility is a mindset that can lead to a very powerful sense of inclusion.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">~ Maayan Ziv founder and CEO AccessNow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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