John Slatin AccessU 2022 Conference Program

Greetings all and welcome back to John Slatin AccessU 2022. We hope you share our sense of coming home to a purpose-driven community - even if this is your first time attending.

AccessU is a broad community collaboration led by Knowbility's dedicated staff and made possible by our generous sponsors, the talented accessibility professionals who share their knowledge and skills, and St. Edward's University - kudos to all! We work together with the goal of creating a digital world that works for everyone - including those of us with disabilities. If we learned anything during the global pandemic, it is that digital equity is a civil right and must become the standard. In fact, we adopted that as our 2022 theme: Digital Inclusion - the New Normal. Your understanding and commitment are the elements that will make it so.

Along with the rest of the world, Knowbility has been navigating uncertain times. In 2020, we made the rapid pivot from our customary in-person gathering to an all-virtual AccessU. In 2021, there was no choice but to remain as a fully online event. 2022 brought some hope and our community asked for a reunion in real life (IRL). But not everyone feels safe to convene in person and it is hard to make travel plans when the world is so unstable. It has not been easy for our small staff to decide how to proceed to meet the broadest needs. Among the complexities are these: most registration and conference apps do not meet accessibility requirements; hybrid interations require more robust management; St. Edward's University has its own COVID protocols; assistive tech users have different format preferences - for example some prefer auto-captions that have a shorter time lag while some prefer live captions. Human preference is broad and expense is always a consideration.

The goal remains central - to bring practical skills training to those who need it for the purpose of improving online opportunities for the disabled.

We therefore, are determined to be as flexible as possible in delivering knowledge and skills. We often say that accessibility is a journey, not a destination. This part of our journey has taught us so much. Knowbility's version of a hybrid conference includes pre-recorded sessions that you can view on your own time, remote access to nearly all the instruction and keynote talks, and facilitation of in-person and interactive remote attendance for all other conference and networking activities, and more.

We switched to Humanatix as the most accessible ticketing option and Zoom events for conference management. Keynote talks are free and open to the public and social events include ASL and audio description. We've done our very best to meet the diverse learning needs of our community. In providing options, we hope we have not confused attendees and trust you to let us know if so. We made choices about how to stretch our limited budget and some of them might not please everyone.

It's when we hear from you that we best adapt to serve our community. Through the years many have shared how they started or accelerated their accessibility journey at AccessU. Please find me at St. Ed's, call or send email, or ping me on Slack. This is your AccessU. Thank you for your passion and determination - together we really are making a difference. Onward!

On-site Attendee Guide. Campus Maps, parking, and event information

Remote Attendee Guide. Attending sessions remotely? This video takes you step by step through Zoom Events

Conference Activities at a Glance. A summary of all events

Review details of the Full Class Schedule. Class schedule and description

If you registered for the Premier AccessU, choose from all day pre-conference sessions. See full schedule

7:00 am. Grab your own breakfast in the Ragsdale Cafeteria

Lunch in individual boxes at 11:30 delivered to Trustee Hall

Everyone is invited to the opening keynote with the legendary Molly Holzschlag at 5:00 pm at the Town Lake Holiday Inn.

Reception and online trivia game.

Redefining Accessibility for the World Wide Web at the Town Lake Holiday Inn

7:00 am. Grab your own breakfast in the Ragsdale Cafeteria

7:30 am. Early Morning Energizer in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8 am. Welcome Message and Announcements in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8:30 am. Concurrent Sessions See full schedule

Noon - 1:30 pm. Individual Box Lunches and Keynote with Christina Mallon Inclusive Design is Better Design

1:45 pm. Concurrent Sessions See full schedule

7:00 pm. Live Music at Meanwhile Brewery. 3901 Promontory Point Dr, Austin, TX 78744

7:00 pm. Old Time Radio Night, a Zoom Event

7:00 am. Grab your own breakfast in the Ragsdale Cafeteria

7:30 am. Early Morning Energizer in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8 am. Welcome Message and Announcements in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8:00 am to 8 pm. Accessible Escape Room Sign Up required

8:30 am. Concurrent Sessions See full schedule

Noon - 1:30 pm. Individual Box Lunches and Keynote with Kelsey Ruger Accessibility for Small Business

1:45 pm. Concurrent Sessions & Live Instructor Q&As See full schedule

3:00 pm. Ice Cream Truck

6:00 pm. Movie Night in the Mabee Ballroom. Pizza and an intro from Troy Kotsur

7:00 am. Grab your own breakfast in the Ragsdale Cafeteria

7:30 am. Early Morning Energizer in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8 am. Welcome Message and Announcements in Mabee Ballrroom, Ragsdale

8:30 am. Keynote talk by Caterina Rivera The Future of Work Must be Inclusive

9:45 am. Round Tables, Live Instructor QA, Sponsor Demos, More. See Full Schedule

Noon - 1:30 pm. Individual Lunch Boxes and Keynote by Kemi Yemi-Ese The Art of Perseverance

1:45 pm. Round Tables, Live Instructor Q&As, Sponsor Demos, More. See Full Schedule

4:30pm - 6:30pm. Happy Hour with the Accessibility in Tech Summit at the Captial Factory

Knowbility’s Learning Center is an online library of pre-recorded sessions. A curated collection of sessions are available on-demand to provide asynchronous learning opportunities to meet busy schedules and diverse learning styles. Instructors will provide live Q & A on Wednesday, May 10th and Thursday, May 11. Join them on-site or online for a lively discussion of these topics.

View the AccessU 2022 On Demand Videos

We're working to make AccessU an informative, inviting, and enjoyable experience for all! Please review the Accommodations Guide and contact us at AccessU@Knowbility.org to let us know your needs.

Need help or support? Email us at AccessU@Knowbility.org.

Stay in touch with the AccessU global community and gain insight into presentations and social activities on the AccessU Slack channel. You'll be sure to be among the first to receive real-time announcements, updates, and help. Sign up at LINK.

Update your LinkedIn Profile to be ready to connect with other AccessU attendees and instructors. Follow the Knowbility LinkedIn Page while you're at it!

Take pictures with other attendees for social media content. Use #AccessU!

Get to know the organizers. Knowbility staff is found in classrooms, at the registration desk, and throughout the campus - we want to meet you and hear about your own accessibility journey!

Need help or support? Email us at AccessU@Knowbility.org.

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AccessU 2022 is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors. Together, we are working to improve digital equity for people with disabilities.