What is Heroes of Accessibility?
We're big fans of superheroes here at Knowbility. We love the stories as much as we love what they stand for - triumph of all that is good and just. But we also are huge fans of a different league of superheroes - the every day hero; people who make the world a little bit better with what they do. We have been lucky to meet so many of these heroes in the accessibility world - thanks to OpenAIR. But web-design and competitions aside, we decided it was time that more everyday-heroes were recognized and rewarded for their work in accessibility. We decided to call them Heroes of Accessibility. The first annual Knowbility Community Heroes of Accessibility was held last year and the awards were presented along with the OpenAIR awards at Google, Austin.
Who are Heroes of Accessibility?
Knowbility accepts nominations for Heroes of Accessibility from the public across 5 categories:
Individual Achievement
This award recognizes an individual who has contributed digital accessibility knowledge and skills to the general community.
Educational Achievement
Educational Achievement recognizes a person or group of people who have created educational resources to help technologists learn to create accessible technology.
Institutional Achievement
This award recognizes a sustained effort to improve accessibility across an enterprise. Nominees can be a business, a government agency, or a nonprofit group that has gone beyond compliance to create and integrate a culture of digital inclusion.
Emerging Leader
An Emerging Leader is an accessibility practitioner new to the field who shows leadership promise.
Unsung Hero
If you think we overlooked a category or area that should be given recognition, the Unsung Hero category lets the public nominate a person or group that deserves recognition but who doesn't quite fit the categories above.
How to nominate for Heroes of Accessibility?
We are asking you to help us find this year's Heroes of Accessibility. If you know someone who has contributed to digital accessibility or an institution that has created a culture of digital inclusion, let us know by clicking on this link: Nomination Form
We will collect nominations until Friday, February 19, 2016. You may submit nominations in all categories or only a few or even just one. After nominations close, a nominating committee will review the entries and publish three finalists in each category. The community will be invited to vote for (and provide arguments in favor of) their Heroes of Accessibility in March 2016. Judges will perform the final round or review and one winner will be selected in each category.
Where will I meet my Heroes of Accessibility?
The winner of each category will be announced and the awrads presented at a happy hour ceremony on Thursday, March 24th, 2016 at the CSUN conference in San Diego.