Accessibility Awareness Week

10 to 11 a.m. – Event & Meeting Accessibility

Facilitated by Beth Valentine

This session will provide concrete tips and strategies to make your events and meetings more accessible. After briefly defining accessibility and its importance, this session will cover ways to improve accessibility in on-location, digital, and hybrid gatherings. Attendees will have access to resources and checklists to use outside of the training.  

Location: Zoom (Registration Required) 

12 to 1:30 p.m. – Slay Your Ableist Dragon! Technoableism, Gaming, and the Importance of Play

Facilitated by Ashley Shew and Elizabeth McLain

This interactive workshop is designed to critically introduce participants to key concepts from disability studies that can inform both the storyline and design of games (including TTRPGs, video games, and other story-based mediums). Through a digital scavenger hunt, participants will identify and create a map of different themes and tropes around disability in story, play, and game design. We discuss strategies for avoiding ableist tropes and toward non-tokenizing gameplay, storytelling, design, and more!

Location: Zoom (Registration Required) 

9 to 10 a.m. – Accessibility Network Meeting

Facilitated by Mark Nichols

Please join us for the second Quarterly Accessibility Network meeting of 2026. A finalized agenda will be shared a few days before the meeting.  

The Accessibility Network at Virginia Tech is a faculty/staff interest group that brings together Hokies who share a common vision for enhancing digital accessibility across campus. The Network provides information, community, and training to support a wide variety of activities, including advancing web accessibility, incorporating universal design practices, utilizing assistive technologies, and choosing accessible learning materials.

Interested in participating in the Accessibility Network and joining a community developing best practices in digital accessibility? Log in to your Virginia Tech Google account and then join the Accessibility Network Google group. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome!

Location: Zoom 

10 to 11 a.m. – Design Accessible Canvas Content

Facilitated by De Harman

Learn how to make your Canvas course content more accessible for every student. This hands-on session walks participants through using Ally and Canvas accessibility checkers, improving WYSIWYG (Rich Content Editor) content, and ensuring media and caption accuracy. You’ll explore common accessibility myths, identify quick fixes with big impact, and leave with actionable strategies to make your course materials more accessible.

Location: Hybrid - In Person at Whittemore Room 289 & Zoom

Enroll to reserve your seat or receive the workshop URL. 

2 to 3 p.m. – Creating Accessible Materials Open Office Hours: Bring your Questions and Files

Facilitated by De Harman

Have accessibility questions or files that need attention? Join us for the Creating Accessible Materials Open Office Hours session! This drop-in session offers personalized guidance and troubleshooting for your course materials, documents, and media. There is no formal presentation, just practical, real-time support to help you make progress on your accessibility goals.

Location: Hybrid - In Person at Whittemore Room 289 & Zoom

Enroll to reserve your seat or receive the workshop URL.

4 to 5 p.m. – Comedians with Disabilities Act - Changing attitudes about disability one laugh at a time!

Virginia Tech is thrilled to host the Comedians with Disabilities Act, to include three outrageously funny comedians, Nina G, Michael Beers, and Mean Dave. These comedians represent the disabled community, with both seen and unseen disabilities, and bring forth the humor they find in their life experiences. The event will be hosted on Zoom from 4 to 5 p.m. on March 24, 2026. All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend.

Location: Zoom (Registration Required) 

12:30 p.m. – Quick Tips: Alt Text Everywhere

Facilitated by Erin Doherty

Alt text is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve digital accessibility. In this short, practical session, we’ll demonstrate how to add alt text in multiple platforms—from PDFs to social media—and share a few best practices.

Location: Zoom (Registration Required) 

2 to 3 p.m. – Canva Accessibility Tips & Tricks

Facilitated by Helen Ajao, Holli Gardner Drewry, and Asher Burns

Do you use Canva to create marketing materials? During this session, we will cover how to create accessible content using Canva, whether with a free or premium subscription. We will cover tips and tricks that help you design Canva content that meets users’ needs, helping you reach an even wider audience.

Location: Zoom

Enroll to receive the workshop URL. 

2 to 4 p.m. - ADAAS Open House

Come visit the ADA & Accessibility Services team in our home suite – Gilbert Place, 5200. You can meet the team, including the new ADA/504 Coordinator, and learn about their work with employee accommodations, physical accessibility, and digital accessibility. Virtual visitors are also welcome. 

Location: Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education, 220 Gilbert Street, Suite 5200 or join virtually on Zoom. 

9 to 10 a.m. – Visual Accessibility and the Built Environment

Facilitated by Alp Tural 

Following a brief presentation introducing low vision and its impact on environmental perception, participants will engage with an interactive vision simulation website. Using captured photographs of built environments, attendees will explore how spaces appear under different types and severities of visual impairment. The session aims to increase awareness of how lighting, contrast, and spatial design influence accessibility and mobility for individuals with low vision.

Location: Hybrid - In Person at 801 University City Blvd, Suite 21, Blacksburg, VA 24060
& Zoom

Enroll to reserve your seat or receive the workshop URL.

11 to 11:30 p.m. - Creative Therapy Care

Facilitated by Mona Sams 

Mona Sams, executive director of Creative Therapy Care, will discuss how their unique animal-assisted therapy programs support individuals with special needs through occupational, physical, and speech therapies. This unique form of therapy incorporates animals into sessions, creating a playful and welcoming environment. Animals help clients practice social skills, emotional regulation, motor skills, and even caring for beings beyond themselves. 

Location: Zoom (Registration Required)

12 to 1 p.m. – Access Excel-lence: Making Spreadsheets Work for Everyone

Facilitated by Helen Ajao

Are you an Excel spreadsheet user? Do you experience accessibility issues with your Excel sheets before converting to PDFs? Have you considered learning how to create accessible tables, charts, and graphs in Microsoft Excel? If so, this workshop is for you! Do you tend to merge tables instead of splitting them? Are you looking for effective ways to make complex tables more accessible? Join this workshop for valuable insights and practical skills on these issues.

Location: Zoom

Enroll to receive the workshop URL. 

3 to 4 p.m. – Creating Better Web Text in Ensemble with HTML

Facilitated by S.B. Chandler

Discover how even a small amount of HTML and CSS knowledge can elevate the web experience for all users. This course empowers content creators to transform visually correct webpages into truly accessible content that works seamlessly with assistive technologies. By strengthening the underlying structure of your content, you’ll also unlock significant improvements in search engine optimization (SEO), making your work more discoverable and impactful.

Location: Zoom

Enroll to receive the workshop URL.  

4 to 5 p.m. – My iPhone Can Do That? Built-in iPhone Accessibility Tips for All Users

Facilitated by Mark Nichols and De Harman 

Did you know your iPhone already includes dozens of powerful accessibility features designed to make everyday tasks easier, faster, and more personalized? Many people never realize these tools are built right into their device, and they’re helpful for everyone, not just users with disabilities. In this interactive, hands-on workshop, we’ll explore some of the most useful accessibility features available on the iPhone. You’ll learn how features like Magnifier, Speak Screen, Sound Recognition, Shortcuts, Haptics, and more can support productivity, reduce strain, and simplify everyday tasks.

This session isn’t just a demonstration; it’s a shared learning experience. Participants will have the opportunity to try features on their own devices, discover new ways to customize their phones, and exchange tips and strategies with others in the room. You may leave with a new favorite shortcut, accessibility feature, or workflow that makes your iPhone work better for you. 

Everyone is welcome, even if you’re not an iPhone user. Many of the ideas we’ll explore translate to other devices and platforms, and the conversation around accessibility, productivity, and personalization is valuable for anyone interested in making technology work better for themselves or others.

Location: In Person at 801 University City Blvd, Suite 21, Blacksburg, VA 24060


Enroll to reserve your seat. 

9 to 10 a.m. – Workplace Accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Facilitated by Harrison Blythe

In this session, participants will learn about various federal civil rights laws that protect pregnant workers and predate the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in 2022. Participants will then learn about the text and meaning of the PWFA, including how the PWFA follows the lead of federal laws that protect disabled workers, such as Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and where and how the PWFA differs from the ADA. Finally, the presentation will cover Virginia Tech’s process for providing accommodations to employees as required by the PWFA and how and why that process differs from the university’s process for determining and providing reasonable accommodations for employees under the ADA. A question-and-answer conversation with the facilitator will follow.

Location: Zoom (Registration Required)

10 to 11 a.m. – HTML & CSS 101: Foundations of Web Structure

Facilitated by S.B. Chandler

This introductory course teaches students how to build accessible, well‑structured, and responsive web content using semantic HTML and foundational CSS. Students will gain hands‑on experience with page structure, layout systems, responsive design techniques, and accessibility best practices, with practical exercises throughout.  

Location: Zoom

Enroll to receive the workshop URL.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Low-Impact Day Hike at Roaring Run

Facilitated by Venture Out

Join us for a peaceful, creek-side day hike at Roaring Run! This hike is ideal for folks seeking a low-impact outdoor experience with options to explore more rugged terrain by a waterfall as well. The route follows a well-packed, dirt path with moderate inclines, a few creek crossing bridges, and is 1.7 miles long. Most of the trail is smooth and wide enough to comfortably maneuver with a cane or rolling walking aid. This trip is not recommended for wheelchair users as the trail also includes a few narrower sections with uneven, rocky, and rooty terrain that require careful foot placement. Equipment, transportation, lunch, and instruction are provided. We’ll have lunch at the Roaring Run Picnic Area, which has picnic tables, a shelter, and pit toilets on site. Plan to meet at the Venture Out Center at 9:00 a.m. and return by 4:00 p.m. If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Liza Thomas at lizat25@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event. 

Cost: $20 

Registration Required