Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) at Shepherd

On May 16, the Callaway Auditorium at Shepherd Center buzzed with energy as the hospital hosted a resource fair to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This year marked the 13th worldwide observation of GAAD, which aims to increase awareness and conversations about digital access and inclusion for people with various disabilities.

Participants had the opportunity to visit more than a dozen booths and learn from representatives of Shepherd Center departments and organizations outside the hospital working to make the world more accessible.

The event showcased three speakers from the accessibility advocacy community — corporate disability and diversity consultant at Your Invisible Disability Group, Yvette Pegues, Ed.D.; freelance writer, disability blogger, and accessibility consultant, Empish Thomas; and former Shepherd patient and founder of iAccess Life, Brandon Winfield.

Check out the links below for more information about Shepherd departments and outside organizations represented at the GAAD Resource Fair.

Shepherd Center Department Highlight: Assistive Technology

The Center for Assistive Technologies encompasses the Wheelchair Seating and Mobility Clinic, Driver Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program, and Access Technology Lab

Shepherd Center Research Department Highlight:  

Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC)

The Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC) is a U.S.-based national community of people with all types of disabilities interested in helping make technology, health, and consumer goods companies more accessible and usable. AURC has partnered with major companies to help them achieve their accessibility and usability goals for their products. They run full-scale research projects with people with disabilities so that they can develop a deep understanding of their customers, uncover hidden market share, or meet federal accessibility regulations.                           The AURC is organized and maintained by assistive technology and accessibility researchers at Shepherd Center. 

Call to Action: If you have a disability of any kind, sign up for the AURC today to qualify to participate in paid research studies! 

Shepherd Center Department Highlight: 

Recreation Therapy – Accessible Gaming  

Accessible gaming refers to the design and development of video games with features that allow people with disabilities to play and enjoy games comfortably and effectively. This includes incorporating options for various disabilities, such as customizable controls, visual and auditory aids, text-to-speech functionality, and alternative input methods. Accessible gaming aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities can fully participate in gaming experiences without facing unnecessary barriers or limitations. 

Shepherd Center Department Highlight: Emergency Preparedness 

Shepherd Center’s Recreation Therapy Program, along with other consultants, has cultivated resources for individuals with mobility impairments to prepare for emergencies, including fires and natural disasters. Due to the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals with mobility impairments, being adequately prepared for emergencies can be a matter of life and death. In times of crisis, access to necessary medical equipment, evacuation assistance, and specialized care can significantly impact outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Come learn about how you can be more prepared to stay safe during an emergency.

Burnalong is a digital health and wellness platform with the mission to change lives by giving people the health and wellbeing programming and social support they need. Shepherd Center has partnered with Burnalong to develop specialized content for both live-stream and on-demand classes for wellness activities such as exercise and education content, that can be utilized by various disability groups for accessible wellness. The Shepherd team introduces the platform to our clients while they are here as patients, and they can continue participating and accessing content curated by Shepherd clinicians when they go home.  

Makers Making Change is an organization focused on connecting makers to people in need, providing affordable open-source assistive technology, and enabling community-based development.

Since 2000, Side by Side has advanced the long-term well-being of Georgia's brain injury community, offering an adult day program that provides a supportive environment where adults suffering from brain injuries can redevelop social and work-related skills at their own pace in a meaningful, productive way. People with brain injuries come from every walk of life – a business executive, a teacher, an athlete, or a returning veteran. After they come home from the hospital, they face a big unknown: “Will I need non-stop caregiving from my family? Will I be able to work again? Will I have friends, colleagues and live a productive life?” Side by Side answers these unknowns for hundreds of people in Georgia’s brain injury community.

iAccess Innovations has developed and released a lifestyle application that will allow its users to rate and review locations they visit based on their accessibility. Users will be able to rate places like restaurants, stores, and hotels based on the accessibility of the parking, entrance, interior space, and bathrooms. They plan to build strategic partnerships with booking agencies and exciting brands to empower the community to seek new adventures, stress-free. Prospective versions of the application will expand to other forms of disabilities like vision impairments, hearing impairments, and autism and allow users to interact and keep up with their friends, through a social feed. 

The ultimate goal of iAccess Life is to develop a platform that will assist in shining a light on accessibility flaws. 

Tools for Life, Georgia's Assistive Technology Act Program, is dedicated to increasing access to and acquisition of assistive technology (AT) devices and services for Georgians of all ages and disabilities so they can live, learn, work and play independently and with greater freedom in communities of their choice. Individuals can visit an assistive technology resource center (ATRC) to learn more about assistive technology devices and to try before they buy! They offer AT device demonstrations, individual and group AT trainings, and AT device loans.  

Georgia Tech Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) is recognized as a leader for services and research in accessibility. We are dedicated to an inclusive society through innovations in assistive and universally designed technologies, with a goal of addressing the full range of needs for accessibility. We are committed to the promotion of technological innovation and development of user-centered research, products, and services for individuals with disabilities. Ranging from braille to digital compliance, CIDI is your one-stop shop for affordable accessibility. 

The Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (GLS) promotes assistive technology and accessible reading materials for individuals who are blind or have physical disabilities, offering "talking book" and large-print library services with over 450,000 annual circulations. Materials can be obtained freely by mail for those unable to visit a library. GLS collaborates with state library systems to provide access to the national library program by the Library of Congress and the National Library Service for the Blind & Print Disabled. Borrowers can search the online catalog for materials and receive assistance from reader advisers in person or via phone. GLS also offers consulting, training, and serves as a liaison between local libraries and the National Library Service. 

Centers for Independent Living are community-based, cross-disability, non-profit organizations that are designed and operated by people with disabilities. CILs are unique in that they operate according to a strict philosophy of consumer control, wherein people with all types of disabilities directly govern and staff the organization. Centers for Independent Living Provide: Peer support, information and referrals, individual and systems advocacy, independent living skills training, and transition services.  disABILITY LINK is a center for independent living led by and for people with disabilities and promotes choice and full participation in community life.  

NFB-NEWSLINE® is a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, deafblind, or otherwise print-disabled that offers access to more than 500 publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more.   

The Georgia Radio Reading Service, or GaRRS for short, is Georgia’s premier provider of information for individuals who are visually-impaired or otherwise print-impaired. Every month, we broadcast and stream hundreds of programs including local and national newspapers, books, magazines, events, employment opportunities, and shopping ads. We invite you to access our expansive program library or sign up to listen to our live broadcast. 

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) in the Atlanta area provides essential services and support to individuals with disabilities. They offer a wide range of assistance, including providing medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and hospital beds at little to no cost to those in need. Additionally, FODAC offers home modifications and vehicle adaptations to improve accessibility and mobility for individuals with disabilities. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families by providing access to necessary equipment and resources. FODAC plays a crucial role in the Atlanta community by promoting independence, dignity, and inclusion for individuals living with disabilities. 

The Center for Puppetry Arts is deeply committed to fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in our local and global community. The Center realizes the unique ability of puppetry to tell diverse stories with diverse characters that relate to people from all cultures. We celebrate and embrace diverse voices, perspectives, backgrounds, and stories to inspire each other. Our conscious intention is to promote these principles in our programs, events, outreach, education and development opportunities, and communications, and to create safe spaces for groups and individuals to feel comfortable sharing their authentic selves. Accessible programs include Sensory Friendly Sundays, ASL-Interpreted Performances, Audio-Described Performances, and more.  

Not in Georgia? No problem. You can visit the links below to find resources near you.

Find your Assistive Technology Act program

Find your Center for Independent Living

Find your local Developmental Disabilities Council

Learn more about AbleGamers Foundation

Visit the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

Learn about/sign up for the National Federation of the Blind’s NFB Newsline

Explore vision technology through Palmer Vision

Find a Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program for people with hearing loss/deafness near you

Learn more about the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program