This week I attended the GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) 2025 conference at SAAS Raleigh — and what I walked away with wasn’t just information, but deep reflection, conviction, and connection.
The sessions, speakers, and breakout circles reminded me that accessibility isn’t just a checklist. It’s a culture. It’s a mindset. It’s a collective story we have to keep writing — and rewriting — together.
Ed Summers opened with a simple invitation: He asked those who identify as extroverts to raise their hand and say “I,” appointing them as conversation facilitators. Their role? To draw others in. To check in on who’s missing from the circle. That kind of intentional inclusion feels like a small thing — but it changes the tone of the room.
Aditi Rao, 13 years old, blew us away. She reminded us that change doesn’t wait until you’re older, taller, or have a title. She asked us to imagine walking into a library filled only with Braille books, or attending a conference that was entirely signed in ASL — what does inclusion really look like? And what feels realistic?
She spoke about how exclusion leaves lasting scars — and how access isn’t just about ramps or formats, but about dignity, mental health, and being seen.
A quote that stuck with me: “I’m not here because the world cared about me. I’m here because people believed in me.” That one hit hard.
I spoke to Angus Kola , someone that is truly an amazing human, who spoke about using Google Lens to navigate documents and the physical world. It was a powerful reminder of how AI, when designed inclusively, becomes a lifeline.
In our Employee Resource Group(ERG) breakout sessions, we tackled harder questions:
- How do we support parents of children with disabilities in the workplace?
- What does self-identification look like in a professional setting — and how do we build environments that honor it?
“Nothing becomes dynamic if it doesn’t become specific.”
We talked storytelling. In a session on marketing and storytelling, someone said: “Action is propelled by emotion.” We explored how the right mix of credibility, emotion, and logic (ethos, pathos, logos) is what makes people truly listen. We talked about listening sessions, creating safe spaces to share hard stories, and the uncomfortable but important work of normalizing failure and discomfort.
One last quote that resonated deeply: “Proximity builds empathy.” Sometimes it’s not about having all the answers — it’s about getting closer. Sitting beside. Listening longer. Sharing stories that weren’t previously heard.
To the speakers, organizers, and quiet changemakers at GAAD 2025 — thank you. Let’s build the systems so more people with lived experience can be seen, supported, and heard now.
Because one story, one person, one stage — can change the odds.