How GAAD Started
Single Blog Post
The idea of a Global Accessibility Awareness Day started with a single blog post written by a Los Angeles-based web developer, Joe Devon. See Joe’s Blog post that served as the inspiration for Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
Accidental Discovery
Jennison Asuncion, an accessibility professional from Toronto, discovered Joe’s blog post purely by accident thanks to randomly coming across a tweet from Joe.
Joining Forces
After reading it, he immediately contacted Joe (via Twitter) and they joined forces, leveraging their extensive and respective networks to realize the event.
Hear About GAAD from One of Its Founders
Watch Jennison Asuncion explain Global Accessibility Awareness Day, its origin and its intent in this interview by Dr. Jonathan Hassell.
About GAAD Founders
Joe Devon
Co-FounderJoe is a serial entrepreneur who has been fostering the growth of the Los Angeles tech ecosystem since 2008. His experience includes co-founding at Diamond, an inclusive digital agency and co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). In 2019, Joe and the Diamond team launched their first State of Accessibility Report along side “Take the #GAADPledge” a commitment made by organizations and developers to make accessibility a core value of their project. When Joe is not solving technology challenges for major organizations, you can find him on stage influencing every developer and corporation to build their digital products with inclusive design in mind.
Jennison Asuncion
Co-FounderFrom Canada to the US, Jennison Asuncion has had a long career in Digital Accessibility. He spent seven years at the Royal Bank of Canada working with their internal teams and vendors to ensure they meet the bank’s IT accessibility standards. At LinkedIn, he manages a team of software engineers who focus on enabling the global workforce of professionals with disabilities to be more productive and successful. He founded the Bay Area Accessibility and Inclusive Design meetup, co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), and has an impressive array of awards, from being decorated by Queen Elizabeth II with the Diamond Jubilee Medal, to the 2018 Stephen Garff Marriott Award.